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Vol. 17 No. 10
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THE 2013 local and national elections saw some of the most aggressive involvement by lay Catholics in the political process in years.
But did Catholics make any difference in the electoral outcome in choosing candidates who espouse the Churchs teaching, particularly on the primacy of the right to life and on the sanctity of marriage? The CBCP Monitor asked some lay leaders the question and the consensus was yes. The Council of the Laity of the Philippines (CLP) Catholic vote did really count but, at the same time, admitted there are still many things that need to be done. Of course we made an impact but I wish we could have done more, Atty. Aurora Santiago, president of CLP, which is composed of 51 national organizations, said. Santiago was among those who led the White Vote Movement campaign for candidates who opposed the Reproductive Health (RH) Law. According to her, it was the first time that an alliance of Catholic groups banded together to endorse senatorial candidates. We discovered some loopholes but there is always room for improvement,
Active / A6
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo casts his vote during midterm elections in Manila despite his doubts on the accuracy of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine, May 13, 2013. Pabillo who also chairs the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, has been advocating for a parallel manual count due to a perceived failure of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to address security and credibility issues surrounding the automated election system.
Abortionist / A6
Tagle asks intl groups to help solve PHPs labor problems Malfunctioning PCOS machines
THE countrys top churchman called on the international community to do more to help solve labor issues particularly in the Philippines. In his message to mark this years Labor Day, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of Manila stressed the need for outside intervention in addressing worker rights and labor reforms. Now, because of globalization, I hope that the worlds labor issues and problems will become a major concern of international agencies and international groups, Tagle said. He cited an example of a foreign company who warned the workers that it would shut down their factory if they will insist to demand for a wage increase. Tagle was holding a dialogue with the company to raise the concerns of the workers only to be threatened by the officials that they will just bring the business to other country. In the end, he said the
Labor / A7
Maganda ang voter turn out. Maaga silang dumagsa as presinto para bumoto, he said. But Sanchez noted glitches in the PCOS machines that marred the mood and enthusiasm of the early voters. He said there were at least four PCOS machines that malfunctioned throughout the diocese as of 8:30 am. May mga report na hindi nag-on
Turnout / A6
The first run of Kabataang Bayani was for the DSWD-NCR Youth last year.
Brothers Matias
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World News
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
Board game created by nun Patroness, inspiration, intercessor: Mary is beloved in Latin America becomes a hit in Spain
ROME, Italy, May 13, 2013A new faith-based board game created by a Spanish nun has become one of the most popular First Communion gifts in Spain this year. Sister Maria Granados Molina created the new game, The Joy of the Faith, which tests players knowledge of Catholicism. The games publisher said 2,000 copies have been made since the game went on sale a few months ago, and there are hopes to market it in the United States and Latin America. Thirty-five year-old Sr. Molina was born in Granada and belongs to a Carmelite order in the city of Cuenca. She works as a catechist for the Diocese of Cuenca. In an interview with CNA, Sr. Molina said she never imagined the game would become so popular. She made the first version of the game at home with her own printer and the help of the sisters from my congregation in Cuenca. The Joy of the Faith is intended to help players learn about Jesus and the experience of being a Christian. Players roll dice and answer questions about the Catholic faith to move along the spaces on the board. The game incorporates drawings, gestures and prayers. Sr. Molina debuted the game in Madrid last year during a conference on catechesis. It was picked up by a national distributor and made available later throughout the country. The game is the fruit of a desire, a concern and a prayer and I think it has received a surprising reception. Nobody thought that with the way Spain is right now that a game like this would be a success, she said. The game is based on the childrens catechetical book Jesus is Lord, which was approved by the Bishops Conference of Spain. It is intended for children ages 7 and up, and it can be played by groups of young people, families, schools and catechists. I wanted people to draw closer to the experience of Jesus, Sr. Molina said. (CNA) MEXICO City, May 13, 2013 May is the month of Mary, who is celebrated the length of Latin America as someone more than the mother of Godor even a religious figure. Mary is associated with everything from national identity in Mexico to the mother earth in Chile to the national patroness of many of the countries in between. Mary has inspired independence and social justice movements, endured atheist and anti-clerical regimes and been embraced by the indigenous populations and the elites alike. Theres a sense (in Latin America) that Mary represents the concrete manifestation of Gods presence with us in a very culturally specific and acculturated way, said Richard Coll, Latin America analyst for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Some say Latin Americans devotion to Mary dates back to Catholicisms arrival from Spain, where such customs were common. But it gained acceptanceoften on the terms of the indigenous populations despite being an import brought by conquering Europeans and the missionaries who followed. It comes back to this role of Mary of being the acculturated presence of the religion in the sense that Marys involvement in the culture does not appear as one that originated from the outside, Coll said. Thats where the strength comes from. Rather than feeling that parts of this religion might be external to this society, the role of Mary ... (is) very local, he said. In Mexico City, pilgrims go daily to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the worlds most visited Marian shrine and the place Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531. Blessed John Paul visited the basilica in 1979, an event symbolically important for ending the estrangement between Mexico and the Vatican. The visit also reinforced the role of Mary in the evangelization and modern life of Mexico and Latin America. Pope Benedict XVI venerated Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre last year in Cuba, while Pope Francis plans a visit the shrine to Our Lady of Aparecida during his July trip to Brazil for World Youth Day. Coll recalled the outpouring of devotion for Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba, during Pope Benedicts visit, which marked the 400th anniversary of the images appearance. This devotion came despite decades of state-sponsored secularism in Cuba. Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has stayed strong in Mexico, even with the church being persecuted by anti-clerical governments after the Revolution of 1910. Father Miguel Hidalgo, the priest leading the independence movement in 1810, marched with a banner bearing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is championed as a symbol of Mexican identity, even by non-Catholic Mexicans. In some Central American countries, Mary has come under attack from evangelical leaders attempting to pry people away from the Catholic Church, said Father German Calix, country director of Caritas in Honduras. But the devotion is hard to break because she is in the consciousness of the people, Father Calix said.
Vatican Briefing
Pope canonizes hundreds of Italian martyrs
The consciousness is expressed often expressed in informal ways, such as the concheros, the Aztec dancers present at various venerations of Mary in Mexico. The thinking of Catholic leaders toward these expressions of popular piety is changing. Pope Francis, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, always supported expressions of popular piety, said Guillermo Galeano, spokesman for the Argentine Diocese of Lomas de Zamora. Many of those expressions centered on Our Lady of Lujan, the national patroness, who draws millions of Argentines to pilgrimages every October. (CNS)
Pope Francis on Sunday canonized hundreds of fifteenth century Italian martyrs who died rather than renounce their Christian faith. The martyrs faithfulness even unto death and the proclamation of the Gospel are rooted in the love of God that has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, said Pope Francis during the May 12 canonization Mass at the Vatican He saw in their lives an inspiration for victims of persecution today. (CNA)
Vatican, US sign anti-money-laundering memo
The Vatican continued its efforts to update its financial standards by signing an agreement with the United States to allow the two countries to exchange information to prevent money laundering and terrorism funding. The Memorandum of Understanding was agreed upon with the American Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which came into being after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The agreement allows the two states to exchange information that will help them prevent criminal financial activity from taking place and was signed in Washington, D.C. on May 7. (CNA)
Coptic Pope stresses urgency of Christian unity at Vatican
The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt met with Pope Francis at the Vatican and spoke about the urgent need for unity among Christians in the Middle East. We must prepare our people for this very real and needed unity that we know and live, we must work quickly and seriously, said Pope Tawadros II in May 10 remarks provided to CNA by his office. His visit to the Vatican is significant because he leads Egypts largest Christian Church with ten million members, as well as historic, since the May 9-13 trip is the first to Rome in 40 years. (CNA)
Focusing on self rather than Jesus makes prayer boring, pope says
If a persons prayer life is boring, that generally means that he or she is focused too much on the self and not enough on Jesus and the needs of others, Pope Francis said during a morning Mass homily. True prayer leads us out of ourselves toward the Father in the name of Jesus; its an exodus out of ourselves, the pope said May 11 during Mass in the chapel of his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae. During the Mass, attended by members of the Vatican police force and by Argentine journalists working in Rome, Pope Francis said prayer typically involves two forms of exodus: one toward the wounds of Jesus, and the other toward the wounds of our brothers and sisters. This is the path Jesus wants our prayer to take. (CNS)
Pope: Unemployment, slave labor go against Gods plan, human dignity
Pope Francis called for an end to slave labor and human trafficking as well as greater efforts to create dignified work for more people. The problem of unemployment is very often caused by a purely economic view of society, which seeks self-centered profit, outside the bounds of social justice, he said, marking the May 1 feast of St. Joseph the Worker during his weekly general audience. I wish to extend an invitation to everyone to greater solidarity and to encourage those in public office to spare no effort to give new impetus to employment, he said. This means caring for the dignity of the person. (CNS)
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CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
News Features
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Pope Francis rides through St. Peters Square at the April 3, 2013 general audience.
As of the moment, the government has no in-city, near-city relocation sites that can generate job opportunities for the settlers. Demolition With demolition scheduled on May 15, two days after the election, Pabillo stressed there
Pope Francis
VATICAN City, May 8, 2013 Like Jesus, who dined with Pharisees and sinners, and St. Paul, who preached to idol worshippers, true evangelizers build bridges that lead unbelievers into the church, not walls to protect it, Pope Francis said. The popes words came in a homily May 8 during morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guesthouse where he lives. The Vatican employees present included those responsible for furniture and decor in Vatican buildings. Commenting on the days reading from the Acts of the Apostles, in which St. Paul preaches to pagan Athenians at the Areopagus, Pope Francis said that Paul is a pontifex, a builder of bridges. He doesnt want to become a builder of walls. He doesnt say: Idolaters, go to hell! the pope said. This is the attitude of Paul in Athens: Build a bridge to their heart, in order then to take another step and announce Jesus Christ. Pope Francis said that the apostle followed the example of Jesus himself, who dined with Pharisees, with sinners, with publicans, with doctors of the law. Jesus heard everyone, and
when he said a word of condemnation, it was at the end, when there was nothing else to do. Christians who are afraid to build bridges and prefer to build walls are Christians who are not sure of their faith, not sure of Jesus Christ, he said. When the church loses this apostolic courage, he said, it becomes a stalled church, a tidy church, nice, very nice, but without fertility, because it has lost the courage to go to the peripheries, where there are so many victims of idolatry, of worldliness, of weak thinking. In these terms, the pope said, now is a good time in the life of the church, the last 50 or 60 years have been a good time. Because I remember when I was a child one would hear in Catholic families, in my family: No, we cannot go to their house, because they are not married in the church, eh! It was like an exclusion. No, you couldnt go. Or because they are socialists or atheists, we cannot go, Pope Francis said. Now, thank God, that isnt said, right? he said. It was like a defense of the faith, but with walls. The Lord made bridges. (CNS)
those great ones who rise above the little things in life, above human pettiness, said Pope Francis. He explained that it is a virtue of those who will not allow themselves to be dragged into those little things within the community, within the Church and that they always look to the horizon. He added that todays visit by Coptic Pope of Egypt Tawadros II was a very good reason to be joyful because he is a brother who comes to visit the Church of Rome to speak and to walk part of the path together. (CNA/ EWTN News)
land, still they remain landless. Mesa added that after benefiting from the land for more than 50 years, still the CojuangcoAquinos have the gall to demand compensation. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) requires that landlords shall be paid just compensation and farm worker-beneficiaries have to pay amortization for a period of 30 years. Aside from ULWU, groups like Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala), and the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU), also joined the caravan and march to Mendiola Bridge. (Jandel Posion)
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EDITORIAL
Opinion
Emergence of the laity
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
IT may be said that it was only on this 2013 midterm elections that the Laity has been rather aggressive in distinctively participating in the political exercise as Catholics. True, this was triggered proximately with the passage of the Reproductive Health Law; which was why the organized groups that did political educationand even the endorsement of candidatesfor the first time, largely came from pro-life organizations. But there should be more implications that meet the eye. The most prominent among them was the White Vote Movement (WVM) which was initiated by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (LAIKO) in response to perceived mounting sentiments among different lay groups in the country regarding lay Faithfuls role in preserving core family values. Another is a group called Catholic Vote Philippines (CVP) which was launched few days before the victory of the RH supporters in Congress has December. Unlike the former, this group did not formally endorse any candidate but went around the country conducting political catechesis to target groups. Both groups are aggrupations of different Catholic lay organizations with the common end in view of barring anti-life candidates from getting majority seats in both houses of Congress. And there are more groups of this kind: Lay Solidarity Movement, Catholic Philippines, and Conscience Vote Movement. Come to think of it, this is a realization, albeit perhaps initially, of a vision of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines. PCP-II states: In the Philippines today, given the general perception that politics has become an obstacle to integral development, the urgent necessity is for the lay faithful to participate more actively, with singular competence and integrity, in political affairs. (PCP-II, 348). Moreover, in its Decrees, PCP-II provides, the laity must help form civic conscience of the voting population and work to explicitly promote the election of leaders of true integrity to public office. (PCP-II, Art. 8, #1). Renewing the political order according to Gospel principles and values is a tall mission of the Catholic laity. And this without even dwelling into the purview of Gaudium et Spes of Vatican II that says a lot more. Even without considering the results of the polls, especially for the Senate where a good number of those endorsed by the WVM made it to the magic twelve, the impact of having to band together for a singular purpose is considerable enougheven though this was just an initial salvo. This may percolate more along the way to the next political exercise. Says the head of Laiko, Atty. Aurora Santiago: Weve seen the effect if well stay united. We are expecting more groups to join our crusade Our campaign does not stop until 2013. We have to get ready this early for 2016. Linda Valenzona of CVP joins the chorus: With the commitment and dedication of everyone, CVP will rise up again to the challenge of 2016 (presidential elections). This new initiative may not sit comfortably well with some Catholics or even with some clerics that easily. But a cursory check with the Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics and the Catechism on the Church and Politics of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines will tell us that this was what the Catholic Church has been saying all along.
Oscar. V. Cruz, DD
known and the standard awareness that one has to honor, respect, and obey his /her parents. There is also the standing consciousness that one should not kill another, should not steal from another, and should observe conjugal fidelity. The above mentioned injunctions are the world famous Ten Commandments as dictated by reason, mandated by ethics and founded in Natural Law. They are reduced but into two mandates: Love God, and Love your neighbor. These in turn are the Two Commandments that are the synthesis of the aforementioned ten ordinations, that are enjoined by faith, mandated by morals and anchored on Supernatural Law. The immense social benefitthe enormous blessings, the big gains, the profound advantagesof the observance of the rules of ethics and/or the norms of morals are too obvious to discuss. Truth and sincerity, honesty and integrity, respect for human
Acts and Decrees of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, 1991
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Educating in communion
WE need to prepare the students and the youth in general for the challenges now and the future. We cannot deny that the world is becoming complicated, with more attitudes, mentalities, lifestyles, sub-cultures coming up. What we can see is that there is a clear drift toward individualism, indifferentism and activism, utilitarianism and moral relativism. Utilitarianism is when one just considers the practical aspects of things to the point of using persons merely as tools and instruments or stepping stones to ones ambitions. These isms should not come as a surprise, but rather as an understandable consequence of the confusion that can easily appear when more and more elements appear in society, and we do not know how to exercise our freedom. Thats when we judge things poorly, even erroneously. Concern for personal development can deteriorate into individualism or egoism
Candidly Speaking
purpose. To be sure, we are not here by chance or by accident. Neither are we meant to make our life whatever we want it to be. There is an eternal law and natural law that governs the whole world in a universal way. We need to adhere to it. In our case as persons with intelligence and freedom, there is a natural moral law that reflects Gods will for us. We need to adhere to it knowingly and lovingly, and never by force or blind obedience. Everyone should be made aware of this core, this indispensable, basic requirement of any effort to achieve union and communion among ourselves. That communion among ourselves in spite of our unavoidable differences can only spring from our communion with God. Of course, given our human condition where we develop ourselves in stages, this fundamental truth about God as the founda-
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and self-absorption. Concern for ones welfare can lead to indifferentism on the one hand or activism on the other. Tolerance to the many things one has to contend with nowadays can bring him to utilitarianism or moral relativism. Its important that right from the setting of the family and schools, young people are already made aware of the nature and need for communion, and the ways and requirements for it. We cannot anymore take this human need and Christian ideal for granted. We need to work it out. But first things first. We have to understand that unity and communion, in spite of the growing plurality of elements in our society, can only take root on the ground of a living and loving relationship with God. God is our Creator and Father. He is the one who gives us individual existence and holds the whole world and creation in existence, giving it foundation, meaning and
Candidly Speaking / A5
Brothers Matias
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
Opinion
Protracted peace talks
the EDSA People Power and the restoration of democracy. There is no other way but to engage in peace negotiation and shift to non-violent and creative means of transforming society. The NDF must look at the peace process as a strategic move rather than a tactical ploy to buy time to rebuild its forces so that it can continue the armed struggle. It must learn to think outside the box rather than continue dogmas, strategies and frameworks that have become obsolete and inappropriate due to changed societal conditions. For the peace process to move forward, a peace constituency is necessary. This is the role of civil society and the Church. The promotion of peace based on justice is part of the social mission of the Church. Since 1986, the Church has taken an active role in promoting and supporting the peace process. From time to time the CBCP has come up with pastoral statements and letters about the need to pursue peace. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in Cantomanyog, Negros and Tulunan, North Cotabato set up Zones of Peace which stopped armed confrontations in these areas. With the impasse of the peace talks between the Government and the NDF, the Church needs to pursue a vigorous campaign to continue the peace process and come up with a final settlement. It is not enough that the CBCP come up with another statement about the need to come up with a peace agreement. The parishes must be actively involved in this campaign by organizing prayer vigils and rallies for peace. The BECs need to replicate the example of BECs in the past and create more peace zonesespecially in areas where they find themselves in the crossfire. This is part of our mission to defend and promote life. To be pro-life is to be pro-peace, as Blessed John Paul II reminded us in his Evangelium Vitae.
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Fr. Carmelo O. Diola
Duc in Altum
mony through respectful and frank dialogue. May they always draw inspiration from Jesus love for the poor, the weak and the defenseless, so thatin accord with the Constitution of the Republic they may ensure a humane culture and environment for ourselves and for future generations. *** This election, we reiterate that we should vote and put into office only those who vow to protect life from womb to its natural end. Let us vote only those who preserve and defend the Filipino families. Let the culture of life win in the May 13 election. Let us observe due diligence that our vote is counted by the PCOS machines. Watch out for notorious persons who are out to thwart the will of the people. The voice of the people is the voice of God. *** Let us heed the message of WVM. Calling all families, Vote for Family, Vote for Life. We fully support their endorsed candidates: Mitos Magsaysay, JV EjercitoEstrada, Gregorio Honasan, Koko Pimentel, Sonny Trillanes, Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Dick Gordon, Marwil Llasos and Migs Zubiri. All the 10 endorsees passed the CBCP criteria (during the 2004 election) which the WVM adopted in discerning who among the senatorial candidates will be selected: Competence, Conscience and Commitment. Competence - servant leadership, experience or track record, aptitude. Conscience - personal integrity, transparency and accountability, respect for human rights, especially the fundamental right to life and security, freedom of speech, the press, assembly and religion, etc. as
Duc In Altum / A7
Some are partisan, like running for and holding public office. Others are not, for example: educating voters and promoting the integrity of the political process. What binds them all is the necessity for prayerful discernment as well as the challenge and opportunity to exercise charity: A field in which the light of the Gospel can and must shine in order to illuminate humanitys footsteps in politics. Politics requires a commitment of selfless and sincere care for the common good by fully respecting the dignity of the human person from conception to natural end, honoring the family founded by the marriage of a man and a woman, and protecting academic freedom; by removing the causes of injustice, inequality, discrimination, violence, racism, hunger and war. Christians are asked to give a clear witness to the precept of charity in the exercise of politics (XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Message, 10). Laiko enumerates, as a reminder, some criteria for the laitys political activity: -the pursuit of the common good in a spirit of service; -the development of justice with particular attention to situations of poverty and suffering; -respect for the autonomy of earthly realities; -the principle of subsidiarity; -the promotion of dialogue and peace in the context of solidarity. (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 565) Laiko, therefore, supports lay initiativeslike the White Vote Movement that seek to infuse Catholic Christian values in politics. May they and their partners promote understanding and har-
Cogito
I COULD not hide my excitement and joy upon viewing this ad on the TV screens of the Davao airports waiting lounge last Sunday afternoon. Not often do I see religious advertisements in public places especially international airports. This one clearly shows how religious still Filipino people are! But my heart almost sank as the last sentences flashed on the screen: It says: Life with God is not about a religion. It is about a relationship. What a clear indication also that, though we remain a religious people, our understanding of religiosity is plunging into the depths with the speed of light! Definitely, whoever contributed such a preposterous idea has never bothered checking the etymology of the term reCandidly Speaking / A4
ligion. Had he or she done so, he/she could have discovered that religion comes from the Latin religio (respect for what is sacred) and religare (to bind fast, hence, a bond between gods and humans). St. Thomas Aquinas employed this original meaning when he affirmed that human beings are religious by nature, that is, man always seeks for the expression of his innate bond or relationship with a divine being. Hence, religion is about relationship with God: life with God is all about religion. But what is behind this erroneous concept on religion that the TV ad reveals is the mentality so widespread among the Filipino society today that says: Every religion is equal (Pare-pareho lang lahat yan). Related to this is the
tion of communion should be presented as early as possible and in ways understandable to us in whatever status we may find ourselves due to our gender, age, and other human and natural conditions like our social and economic standing, etc. With little children, we may just have to tell them what to do first, before explaining the things behind. But obviously, as they grow older, things need to be explained more and more, until these things get clearly related to God. For example, little children have to be taught how to follow a certain schedule, how to behave in different situations of the day
basic norms of courtesy should be imparted as early as possiblehow to pray and be aware of God as our Creator and Father, etc. Later on, they may have to be taught some practical things that help them to relate themselves to others and to God. Teaching them to be thoughtful and helpful to others, to plan and organize their time, etc., should be done in the manner of an inclined plane. The important thing to remember is that there is some kind of plan of how to help children become more aware of the need for communion with God and among ourselves. This is a plan that never ends. We just hope
that the children can reach the point where they themselves make and carry out their own plans. They have to be taught interpersonal skills, teamwork abilities, the concepts of common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, etc. They have to be taught the spiritual means of prayer, sacrifice, sacraments, etc., to bring this communion about. The role of parents and teachers are very crucial in this task. They have to know how to relate whatever technical, practical and mundane things they have do with the children to the sacred and divine, to the spiritual and supernatural. In other words, to God.
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Local News
THE countrys lone cardinal on active service said the governments economic programs should not end up hurting the poor. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the government should put supremacy on common good over its supposed economic programs. Real progress is the one that promotes the dignity, integrity of the people and helps the poor, Tagle said. The cardinals message was read during a Mass at the Quiapo Church for 150 farmers, fisherfolk and indigenous people who are calling for the scrapping of an economic hub in Aurora province. He also urged the government to consider the concerns of all the stakeholders of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) project. In the ongoing review (of the Apeco project), may all the voices be heard and lets work together towards a reasonable development, said Tagle. Like what I said before, we are calling on everyone to calmly search for the common good, he added. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, who led the liturgical celebration, reiterated his call for a moratorium on the ecozones operation. The project, he said, is a waste of public funds and a danger to the livelihoods of Auroras poor. Fr. Joefran Talaban, parish priest of Casiguran town, said that since 2010, the lands and livelihoods of more than 3,000 families there have been threatened by the Apeco project. Apeco is a 12,923-hectare Freeport through the governments passage of R.A. 9490 in 2007, and vastly expanded by R.A. 10083 in 2010.
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
Casiguran marchers are back in Manila to press government to halt the implementation of the Apeco project that would displace thousands of families from their lands and livelihoods.
Cardinal Tagle talks to a seminarian and some parishioners before the Eucharistic celebration at the Sto. Cristo parish in San Juan City.
This leads to the greatest connection, the one with Jesus. And to say yes to such a relationship is not to be taken lightly. Delikado makipag-ugnay kay Hesus, mababago ka (It is dangerous to relate with Jesus because it will change you), he added. The most important decision Tagle explained that fiestas or feast days should not end with processions or masses but should bring people again and again to the turning point of their lives committing to a relationship with Jesus. This is probably the most important decision a person will make in his life time the decision of faith. Will I allow myself to be part of Him? Will I make Him a part of myself? he added. At the beginning of the homily, Tagle mentioned how the celebration of the feast of the Sto. Cristo this year falls within the Year of Faith, making the questions posed about faith even more relevant to believers. Around 1,500 parishioners came to celebrate the feast day through the sacrifice of the holy mass. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on September 14, but some parishes like the Santuario del Santo Cristo parish continues to observe the original tradition of celebrating it on May 3. (Nirvaana Ella Delacruz) they are more adept with technology that their elder counterparts. They assist voters, encode reports, and even act as support staff that need to be mobile most of the time, he said. The priest said initiative of PPRCV lay volunteers is very instrumental in the conduct of any election, urging them to keep it up. The role of the PPCRV is very indispensable as a citizen arm. And the role of the volunteers is very significant (in the success of the elections), Sanchez added. (CBCPNews)
Abortionist / A1
be prosecuted because Gosnell destroyed the files. Gosnells name became a rallying cry for pro-life advocates who lamented a lack of major media coverage of his trial. Their efforts on social media helped draw attention to the case. Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, said Gosnells gruesome and inhuman crimes had cried out for justice. Even as we celebrate this verdict, we honor and mourn as well those innocents who did not receive their day in courtand we must remember that Gosnell is not an outlier within the abortion industry, Rose said May 13. Jack McMahon, Gosnells
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attorney, said his client was disappointed and upset over the verdict. McMahon said the jury obviously took their job seriously. The verdict should be respected based on their effort, he said, Fox News reports. The jury had said it was deadlocked on two charges early on Monday. It was not reported which charges had caused the deadlock. Gosnells clinic had minimal state oversight through 1993 and no oversight since then. The practices at his clinic were not discovered until a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Agency raid was conducted in February 2010 to seek evidence of illegal
distribution of prescription painkillers. Investigators found bloodstained rooms and filthy equipment. The clinic stored aborted fetuses in a basement freezer in plastic food containers and bags next to staff lunches. Gosnell kept severed feet of unborn babies preserved in specimen jars, allegedly for future identification or DNA samples. Staff allegedly sent women to give birth into toilets, a doctor allegedly spread sexually transmitted infections to women through poor sanitary standards, and a 15-year-old staffer administered anesthesia to patients. The clinic allegedly gave better treatment to white patients.
Several of Gosnells former employees have pleaded guilty to murder and other charges. The exposure of Gosnells clinic resulted in the firing of two high-ranking Pennsylvania health department officials and tougher rules for Philadelphia abortion clinics, none of which had been inspected in 15 years. Gosnell had also operated a clinic in Delaware. He performed thousands of abortions over his 30-year career, making about $1.8 million per year. Authorities found $250,000 hidden in a bedroom when they searched his house. He still faces federal drug charges, (CNA/EWTN News)
yung PCOS machines, mayroon ding hindi tumatanggap ng balota. Pero ipinagpapatuloy ang botohan kahit ganun, he said. Sanchez also reported about power interruption in a barangay Lower Bicutan in Taguig.
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The priest however could not confirm reports of vote buying in several areas under the diocese, citing lack of evidence. Hindi ko sinasabing wala pero hindi ko ma-confirm dahil walang testigo, Sanchez added.
There are some 1,800 lay and religious PPCRV volunteers throughout the Diocese of Pasig who are currently monitoring the conduct of elections in some 75 polling precincts in the diocese and assisting voters concerns. (CBCPNews)
Santiago said. Still, she said that they are somehow pleased with the result of the May 13 polls especially since majority of the candidates they endorsed are leading in the senatorial race. To recall, the White Vote endorsed the candidacies of Cynthia Villar, JV Ejercito, Gringo Honasan, Mitos Magsaysay, Antonio Trillanes IV, Koko Pimentel, Marwil Llasos, Richard Gordon, Miguel Zubiri, and Nancy Binay. El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde, the spokesman of the group, also personally endorsed Bam Aquino and Jun Magsaysay. Except for Lllasos, Magsaysay, Gordon, Honasan all the five candidates of the White Vote made it to the Magic 12. Even the Buhay party-list of Velarde is leading in the party-list frontrunners. Six out of 10 candidates
in the top 12? Not bad! said Santiago. Name recall Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the CBCPs Commission on Family and Life said that if there is one thing that he learned in the recent polls, it is the importance of name recall. He cited the continuous lead of Grace Poe, daughter of movie icons Susan Roces and Fernando Poe, in the senatorial race as example. If you notice Grace Poe, Loren and those in the top 12 these are surnames that people are familiar with, said Castro. So if we want our (prolife and pro-family) candidates to win in 2016, as early as now we should already familiarize the people with them, he added. The encouraging turnout of the elections, the priest
said, only means that they need to be more pro-active in their advocacy on life and the family. I think we should sustain this until 2016. Obviously Filipinos are still personoriented, but I think slowly we are becoming issue-oriented, he said. We only want to protect the sanctity of life and family. We will continue this advocacy in the next three years so that in the next elections the issue on family and life will be more prominent, added Castro. Sights on 2016 polls Another lay group that pushed for a Catholic vote said that they were optimistic for the election but not all of them were met. We had such little time and few resources, said Linda Valenzona of Catholic Vote Philippines (CVP) who led a group in conducting
political catechesis to several areas around the country during the months leading to the May elections. Educating Catholics to apply the teachings of the Church to the political life has been a fulfilling task, Valenzona added. With the commitment and dedication of everyone CVP will rise up again to the challenge of 2016 (presidential elections), she said. As early as this year, Santiago added they will already start the formation of Catholics with the help of almost 3,000 parish pastoral councils nationwide. Weve seen the effect if well stay united. We are expecting more groups to join our crusade, she said. Our campaign does not stop until 2013. We have to get ready this early for 2016. (With reports from Raymond Bandril)
recounted the interfaith unity of volunteers especially in the polling precincts in Barangay Maharlika Village, which is home to a big community of Muslims living and working in Metro Manila. There are several Muslims in Barangay Maharlika Village who didnt mind to be volunteers of the PPCRV because they believe in the groups cause for a clean and honest election, he said. Sanchez said PPCRV volunteers regardless of religion are all after
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the success of the polls. Among the volunteers duties are voters assistance and poll watching on Election Day. In Maharlika Village for instance, they are all Muslims there yet they joined a group that is associated with the Catholic Church because they want to be part of nonpartisan election watchdog, the priest added. Sanchez also noted that the youth comprise majority of the PPCRV volunteers throughout the diocese. There are more young volunteers especially as
fice director Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III lauded Kabataang Bayani as a program that minumulat ang isipan ng mga bata sa isang napakaimportanteng misyon ang pag-Christianize ng politics (opens the eyes of the youth to a most important mission the Christianizing of politics). As Christians, nakikialam [tayo], hindi lamang sa sarili kung hindi sa buong sambayanan, Msgr. Quitorio added, explaining why good Catholics necessarily have to be involved citizens. This is precisely one of the objectives of Kabataang Bayani, which aims to provide a venue for Filipino youth to become more aware of the countrys socio-political scene and make them realize their vital role in transforming the situation.
Designed a few elections before, the program is the Youth Commissions concrete response to the need to form our young people in social awareness and involvement, and as a particular tool to aid the youth ministries in this important component, as described in one of its modules. Kabataang Bayani: Youth for HOPE has had runs for the Department of Social Welfare and Development NCR, the Archdiocese of Jaro in Ilo-ilo, which was attended by 100 youth; another one in the Diocese of Bangued, which had 70 participants. The most recent ones were held for the Diocese of Malolos and the Don Bosco Youth Center in Tondo, Manila. (Nirvaana Ella Delacruz)
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Diocesan News
in 1977 and founded Silsilah in 1984 in an aim to help mend the wounds of the Moro conflict in the 1970s through dialogue and reconciliation. But after spending half of his life in the Philippines and 30 years of advocating dialogue among Christians and Muslims in Mindanao, DAmbra admitted that fear and hatred among the two religious groups are still visible. One of the things that I observed, since the beginning of Silsilah Dialogue was the prejudices and biases as part of the life and culture of many Christians and Muslims. Both groups carry up to now the emotional wounds of experiences of violence and division. Thus, fear and hatred of Muslims against Christians and vice versa, are still visible, he said. But DAmbra expressed optimism in the eventual reconciliation of Filipino Christians and Muslims, especially with the experience of Silsilah as a movement. I am convinced that religions sometimes can be occasions of division and conflict, but our dream has to approach religions as instruments of dialogue and peace. After thirty five years from my arrival in the Philippines and almost thirty years since the beginning of Silsilah as movement for dialogue and peace, I see many signs of hope, he said. While there are signs of improvement in the ChristianMuslim relations, the Italian missionary however warned about a systematic plan of ideological-religious groups that advocate violence and worsen the existing conflict. The relationship among Christians and Muslims is improving, but at the same time today we experience alarming ideological-religious groups that advocate forms of violence often coming from outside of the Philippines. Today there are those who are systematically planning to divide Muslims and Christians, using all the strategies, including religion and geopolitical strategies, DAmbra added. Nevertheless, the priest expressed optimism despite the increasing secularism and globalization, saying global communication is also becoming a powerful means to forge dialogue and reconciliation among Muslims and Christians. DAmbra cited the open letter of at least 138 respected Muslim scholars of the world to Pope
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Christian-Muslim relations in PH improving, but mediator warns of systematic plan to worsen division
ZAMBOANGA CityAfter 35 years of doing mission work in Southern Philippines, the Italian founder of Silsilah Dialogue Movement (Silsilah) claimed that while Christian-Muslim relations have been improving through the years, there are still outside forces that systematically plan on worsening the division. Fr. Sebastiano DAmbra, PIME made the assessment on the status of Christian-Muslim relations in Mindanao in a message he sent to the CBCP Media Office before celebrating his 71st birthday May 9. DAmbra arrived in Mindanao Benedict XVI in the year 2007. This letter ends by saying: So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to one another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill. And I add: let as continue our revolution of the heart that guides us to rediscover that we are brothers and sisters created and loved by the same God. With this hope it is worthy for me to continue my mission here up to the end of my life, DAmbra added. (KB/CBCPNews)
Briefing
Davao animators gather for workshop
Jandel Posion / CBCP Media
DAVAO CityMore than 200 young people from different parishes in the Archdiocese of Davao gathered for the 2nd Animators Workshop held at the Sto. Rosario Parish last May 4. Themed Animation: United in Faith and Mission, the event was organized by the Animation Ministry of the Davao Archdiocesan Youth Coordinating Apostolate (DAYCA). Aimed to deeply understand the significance of being an animator, to strengthen the animation team in every parish, to enhance and develop their animation skills, and to build up camaraderie within the group, participants attended different sessions and workshops during the whole-day event. (Jandel Posion/Julius Gomez)
Mindanaos Rural Missionaries now member of Ecumenical Alliance
Voters queue as they wait to cast their votes in Caray-Caray Central Elementary School in Naval, Biliran Province.
the only areas of concern but there were no big problems that were experience by our team in the different precincts around the diocese, Veloso added. Veloso, who is also the chair of the local Parish Pastoral Council for Re-
sponsible Voting (PPCRV) and at the same time the chair of the local National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) suggested to the provincial Comelec to find ways in controlling the crowd. (Jandel Posion)
ANTIPOLO CityThe Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-region (RMP-NMR) recently announced its admission to the highly-esteemed Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), an international network of churches and church-related organizations, which is committed to the campaign on common concerns such as food and HIV/AIDS. The RMPNMR believes that the admission to the EAA will boost its local campaigns on land and food security by synergizing resources and efforts with other organizations with similar advocacies under the Alliance. RMP-NMR has been known for its advocacy for peace, development and human rights in Mindanao. (Noel Sales Barcelona)
Church appeals aid for Leyte jail fire victims
TACLOBAN City The Catholic Churchs prison ministry is appealing for aid to help hundreds of inmates whose dormitory was destroyed by fire at Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog town on May 10. Rodolfo Diamante of the CBCPs Commission on Prison Pastoral Care said the more 600 inmates need help to at least build their temporary shelters. He said the inmates urgently need clothes, cookware, kitchen utensils, sleeping mats and blankets. Damage has been estimated at around P1 million from the Friday morning blaze at the facilitys maximum security area. Local authorities said no one was injured in the fire that also burned the LRP clinic. The cause of the fire remained under investigation. (CBCPNews)
Solo exhibit of Sto. Nino held in Cebu
CAGAYAN DE ORO CityThe Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP) in the Philippines has turned over some housing units to survivors of Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro City on May 4. Recognizing the plight of the survivors of urban poor communities in
SSVP is working hand-in-hand with groups such as the Federation of Peoples Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC), the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (Foundation), Inc. (POGS), the Julio and Florentina Ledesma Foundation, Inc. (JFLFI), Asian Rural-Urban Development and Peace Institute (ARDEP), the National Government Line Agencies such as the National Housing Authority (NHA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the City Government of Cagayan de Oro City for this project. Last July 17, 2012, the group signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with partner institutions on the project followed by a groundbreaking ceremony at the 5-hectare property of FPSDC in Brgy. Mambuaya, Cagayan de Oro City for the construction of Co-Op Ville or the Co-Operative Housing & Sustainable Community. (Jandel Posion)
CEBU City An exhibit featuring mixed media paintings of the Santo Nio de Cebu was held at the SM City Cebu from April 29 to May 12. It was a solo exhibit, which is open to the public, featuring 27 art works of Augustinian Fr. Dominador Besares. With the theme, Kaplag: Expressing the Face of Jesus in Art in the Year of Faith 2013, the art exhibit was part of the commemoration of the 448th anniversary of the rediscovery of the image of Sto. Nio. Besares said it took him three years to come up with all the works he displayed in the exhibit. (CBCPNews)
pleasures, and pastimes I should say that it is one of the most painful lives, I think, that one can imagine; for neither did I enjoy God nor did I find happiness in the world. When I was experiencing the enjoyments of the world, I felt sorrow when I recalled what I owed to God. When I was with God, my attachments to the world
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disturbed me. This is a war so troublesome that I dont know how I was able to suffer it even a month, much less for so many years . . . For more than eighteen of the twenty-eight years since I began prayer, I suffered this battle and conflict between friendship with God and friendship with the world. (To be continued)
recognized by the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Commitment to act on a Catholic vision on: family and life, environment, justice, peace and order (illegal drugs and gambling), authentic human development (poverty alleviation), education. All of them signed the WVM Covenant, they committed to reject and oppose all D.E.A.T.H. bills (Divorce, Euthanasia or mercy killing, Abortion, Total population control, Homosexual or same sex union), anti-family, anti-life, anti-Church and anti-Religion bills which had
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been filed and may be filed in Congress. *** Happy Wedding Anniversary to my eldest sister Violeta SantiagoRosales and her husband Celestino Rosales. Happy Mothers Day to my sisters Violeta and Flordeliza Santiago-Imperial, my niece Mary Gretchen Rosales-Castro and sisterin-law Ma. Loreto Gorovia-Santiago. Happy Birthday to Laiko staff Kate Buenconsejo; also to Letty Tecson and Auring Sison of San Ildefonso de Navotas Parish.
to vote for them, she said. De Villa made the statement May 14 during a press briefing at the PPCRV command center in Manila where the unofficial count of the recent automated elections is conducted. In all areas, the public knows the candidates who engaged in vote buying but no one gets arrested because
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theres a need for material evidence, she added. The PPCRV chief attributed the worsening culture of money politics to the growing problem of poverty in the country even of the people know that its wrong. Because of poverty, they are forced to buy the bullet, de Villa said. (CBCPNews) tal, urging the business community to give human dignity more importance than profit. The first is still the dignity of man created in the image of God and who was given by God the sacred mission of participating in his work, Tagle said. He also lauded the countrys ordinary workers and called them as heaven sent. Without you our nation would not exist, Tagle said. You are heaven sent. You are the image of God. Thank you very, very much to all workers. (Roy Lagarde)
workers asked him to stop the dialogue for fear that they might lose their jobs. They told me to stop the negotiation even if they are just receiving low salaries rather than having no job at all, Tagle said. It seems that we can do nothing here. It seems that we need to elevate these concerns to the international level, he added. The cardinal celebrated Mass at the Quiapo Church for workers nationwide to commemorate Labor Day. In his homily, he also reiterated the Churchs teachings of labor over capi-
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Some 1,300 pilgrims raise up their Our Lady of Mediatrix of All Grace medals to be blessed by the priests before the act of consecration last May 1.
dividuals consecration, the pilgrims listened to Fr. Paul Marquez give the first talk on The Meaning of Total Consecration and why it is the surest, fastest way to Jesus. Fr. Yulito Ignacio, head spiritual director of the Philosophy Department of San Carlos Seminary, talked about the Spirit of the World vs. the Spirit of Jesus and why they are at odds with each other. Kabataang Mediatrix Another session that was critical in preparing the pilgrims for
the consecration was the talk on Knowledge of Self by Salesian priest and psychologist Fr. Dennis Paez, SDB. Episcopal Commission on Family and life executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro gave the afternoon session on Knowledge of Mary. Finally, Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani gave the capstone talk on Knowledge of Jesus Christ as the homily of the closing mass. The event also launched the youth arm of the Confraternity, Kabataang Mediatrix (KM),
which will seek to promote the total consecration to the youth, especially through social media. For more information on how to be part of KM, email consecrationpilgrimage@gmail.com The Confraternity of Mary Mediatrix of all Grace intended the event to support the decision of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to have a simultaneous national consecration on June 8, feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Nirvaana Ella Delacruz)
Praying in the way of Taize is often highlighted by the Celebration of Light. Lighted candles used in prayer symbolize Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
THE Pasig Diocesan Youth Ministry has organized a second youth camp to deepen the knowledge of young people and become equipped and effective leaders in the youth ministry. The 2nd BINHI youth camp focused on calling each young people in the diocese to have a deeper relationship with Jesus through the youth ministry and to become missionaries to other young people. With the theme Ka-
PH, a strategic entry Pasig youth hold summer camp for effective ministry for mission in Asia Comboni missionaries
bataan ng Diyosesis ng Pasig: Chosen by Christ, Living in Faith, Fruitful in Mission, the camp was held at the Forest Camp in Tanay, Rizal on May 3-5. According to Peter Capistrano, former diocesan youth coordinator of Pasig, organizers chose the bible verse of Luke 5, 1-11 as their Gospel theme because it pertains to the journey of the apostles who were called to deepen their relationship with Jesus and then sent off into mission. We relate it to the calling of young people to deepen their relationship with Jesus through the youth ministry and then sending them off to become missionaries to their fellow young people, Capistrano said. Topics for the youth camp were taken from the theme Chosen by Christ, Living in Faith, Fruitful in Mission and divided into three parts. Topic for the first part was Chosen by Christ which was discussed by Mark Christian Reyes, an instructor from De La Salle University. The second part was Living in Faith with Peter Capistrano as the resource speaker. Raphael de Honor, a Christian formation teacher of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Catholic School in Pasig City, discussed the third topic Fruitful in Mission. Before each talk, participants were divided into groups of 12 for an activity. Each group, which has taken the name of the apostles, was composed of young people from different parishes in the diocese. A fellowship night was held on the evening of the first day with participants presenting different situations that young people experienced. A para-liturgy of the blessing of fire and washing of the feet was held on the first and second night of the camp. Around 200 young people from all parishes in the diocese participated. (Jandel Posion) MEMBERS of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) doing missionary work in the Philippines, Macau, Taiwan and Vietnam have gathered here to celebrate their congregations 25 years of presence in Asia, which actually started in Manila. Established in five continents and 42 countries The congregain the world, the Comboni congregation in the tions silver anniPhilippines has now 13 Filipinos as perpetually versary celebration, professed among its members. themed Journeying together on Asian Roads, started with a Eucha- was a better way to start (here). ristic Celebration on May 11 at From Manila, we moved to Mathe St. Daniel Comboni Mission cau, Taipei and most recently to Vietnam, Llamazares added. Center in Paraaque City. But the Comboni priest exAt least 26 members of the Comboni Missionaries Delega- pressed optimism that their tion in Asia are in the Philippines presence will be eventually to also celebrate the forthcoming established in China in the next 25th founding anniversary of 25 years. I see our presence in evangetheir publication World Mission magazine. World Mission lization of China in the next 25 magazine is part of a string of years. Although it is really difsome 20 publications that Com- ficult for missionaries to be perboni communities are producing manent there (in the mainland), we are already doing some work worldwide. The first batch of Comboni in collaboration with the local missionaries went to Manila in church and the work is done January 1988 and the members from Macau, Llamazares said. Llamazares also expect more of the second batch that came later in April were the pillars of Asians to join the Comboni conthe magazines maiden issue, gregation. Eventually, the Comboni according to Delegate Superior presence will be more Asian, Fr. Miguel Llamazarez, MMCJ. Llamazares said starting the he said, adding that at present, Comboni missionaries presence there are 13 Filipinos who are in Asia via Manila has always perpetually professed to the been a strategic decision for the congregation and another three with temporary vows. congregation. The Comboni Missionaries In a way, it was a strategic decision to start in Manila even if of the Heart of Jesus maintain initially our desire was to evan- the Daniel Comboni Seminary in Quezon City as a way of gelize China, he said. The Philippines already has forming new missionaries. (KB/ the tradition of religiosity and it CBCPNews)
Photo courtesy of Kris Bayos
Bro. Andreas explained how Gods invitation to everyone to trust is much like the one given to Maryto allow God to do something in our lives, something which we have never seen before. And just like in Marys case, God sends messengers to prepare peoples hearts for His words.
God will bless your life Bro. Andreas injected a humorous insight into Lukes account of the Annunciation by noting how Mary is surprised and confused because of the angels greeting, but not really by the angels presence. Mary is surprised with what the angel says, his greeting, You are special, God is close to you, you find favor with God, he said. Bro. Andreas said, every believer should know that the angels words, Do not be afraid, is meant for all, not just Mary. When we think that our life may not be important, [believe that] God will bless your life and you can give something important to the world, he added. Around 25 people attended the retreat for Taiz permanents, youth who spent around 2-3 months in the community in France and attended the intercontinental meetings. It was held at the Betania Retreat House last April 2628. (Nirvaana Ella Delacruz)
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We have recourse to your protection, O holy Mother of God. As we recite the words of this antiphon with which the Church of Christ has prayed for centuries, we find ourselves today before you, our Mother, in this Year of Faith. We, who make up the Body of Christ present in our land, recite the words of this present Act of Consecration and Entrustment, in which we gather, first of all, the hopes and anxieties of our Filipino people, at this moment of our history.
Mother of our people, we who rejoice in the name, Pueblo amante de Maria, bayang sumisinta kay Maria you know all our sufferings and our hopes, you who have a mothers awareness of all the struggles between good and evil, between light and darkness, which afflict the world today. Mother of our people, accept
the cry which we, deeply moved by the Holy Spirit, address directly to your heart. Embrace, with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord, our people and our land, which now we entrust and consecrate to you, for we are truly concerned for the earthly and eternal destiny of every individual among us and for all our people. We have recourse to your protection, o holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities. Behold, as we gather before your Immaculate Heart, we desire, the
Church of the Lord in our land, joined in heart and mind with all our people, isang bayang Filipino , to unite ourselves with the consecration which, for love of us, your Son made of himself to the Father: For their sake, he said, I consecrate myself that they also may be consecrated in the truth [John 17: 19]. We wish to unite ourselves with our Redeemer in this consecration for the world and for the entire human race, which, in his divine Heart, has the power to obtain pardon and to secure reparation. The power of this consecration by
your Son, Our Lord, lasts for all time and embraces all individuals, peoples and nations. Thus also it embraces our people and our land. The power of this consecration overcomes every evil that the spirit of darkness is able to awaken, and has in fact awakened in our times, in the hearts of men and women in human history. How deeply we now feel the need for the consecration of our people, in union with Christ Jesus himself. For the redeeming work of our Redeemer must be shared in and by the world,
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By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
Time and again, one hears the expression lay empowerment in the lips of priests and parish lay leaders. More often than not, they would be referring to the faculties now granted to some of our parishioners to act as lay ministersto have a more active participation in the liturgical ceremonies and to be extraordinary ministers for Holy Communionor to form part of the Parish Pastoral Council. In contrast, in a convention of the Council of the Laity of the Philippines that I attended in Antipolo some years ago, I heard a very different notion from more than one of the speakers. What does the expression lay empowerment really mean? Before we can understand the notion of lay empowerment , we must first understand very well the concept of lay or layman. This is important so that we understand in what way the laymen are supposed to be empowered. In order to do this, we have to first understand the fundamental equality of all the faithful; then we have to understand their diversity and the specific quality of the laity. The Juridic Equality and diversity of all the Faithful By baptism, all Christians possess a common juridic condition of radical equality within the ecclesial society, and thereby share an identical objective and end, which is that of extending the Kingdom of God until it reaches its fullness in the end of time (Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium, n.9). By the baptismal character, and not by any posterior mandate of the Hierarchy, all the faithful are called with equal intensity to foster the common good of the Kingdom of God and to extend it. This character constitutes all Christs faithful into a royal priesthood, making them participate in the priesthood of Christ, by which they are called to share in Christs threefold mission of teaching, sanctifying and leading all men, and indeed all creation, towards God. Nevertheless, despite the radical equality of all Christs faithful by virtue of baptism, not all follow the same path (LG, 32). Among them, there exists diverse ways of life, which demonstrates a variety which enriches the Church. All thisunity and diversityis a consequence of the action of the Holy Spirit, guiding the Church in the way of all truth, and unifying her in communion and in the works of ministry, he bestows upon her varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs her; and he adorns her with his fruits (LG, 4). Two Factors cause this diversity: 1) The action of grace and the charisms of the Holy Spirit on Christs faithful i.e., personal vocation. 2) The individual response of every faithfuli.e., personal human freedom. Three Principal Situations of Diversity arise: 1) The Cleric (or Sacred Minister). The
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Q: After the priest has washed his hands at the offertory, he turns to the assembly and says, Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours . My question is, at this moment of the liturgy should the assembly be seated or standing? In different communities and countries they do it in different ways. Some stand immediately at the word Pray, some at the moment of the prayer over the gifts, and others at the preface. There is some confusion because incense is not used at daily Mass. G.S., Shkoder, Albania A: The Introduction to the Roman Missal says the following in No. 43: The faithful should stand from the beginning of the
condition of cleric includes all those who, on top of the fundamental character of Baptism, have received the character of Holy Orders (c.207). This character marks an essential differencenot merely of degree between the royal priesthood of all Christs faithful by virtue of Baptism, and the ministerial priesthood of the ordained cleric. This character confers on the cleric a new mission (Vatican Council II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2), which consists in striving for the internal vitality of the ecclesial society, preaching the Word of God, administering the means of salvation (fundamentally the sacraments) and directing the course of the Church as a society in persona Christi capitis (c.1008). In short, to serve or minister to all Christs faithful, so that they may exercise with full vitality their royal priesthood. Hence the term: ministerial priesthood. 2) The Religious (or Consecrated Faithful). The religious is another type of faithful, whose status arises from the profession of the evangelical counsels i.e., perfect continence, poverty and obediencethrough a juridical bond of a sacred character. This constitutes a stable way of life (c.573), which even if it does not pertain to the hierarchical structure of the Church, pertains nevertheless to its life and sanctity (LG, 44; c.574, 1). This way of lifethe religious life is characterized fundamentally by an intrinsic non-secularity , which traditionally had even been called a
contemptus mundi or fuga mundi, whose theological root and purpose was to give an eschatological witness to the worldi.e., to give a stark reminder to all men that this world is not our permanent home. 3) The Christian Layman (or Lay Faithful ). The lay faithful, in the strict sense of cc.224-231, refers to a constitutional situation different from the previous ones, which is specifically characterized by baptismal secularity. The layman is not just Christs faithful who has not been ordained, or has not embraced the evangelical counsels in an Institute of Consecrated Life. He is Christs faithful who has embraced the world, but without being worldly. The specific vocation of the lay faithful is to be immersed in the world (to be secular). To the laity corresponds specifically the taskwithin the universal mission of the Churchto develop the baptismal charisms so as to make the Church present in those circumstances wherein it can act as salt of the earth only through them (LG, 33). Understanding Lay Empowerment The problem with words is that many times they are not univocal (having only one sense) but are rather equivocal (having more than one sense). This is what happens with the notion of the oftquoted expression of lay empowerment or empowerment of the laity. a. Loose Sense of Lay Empowerment in Daily Usage
To my mind, this is the most unfortunate sense of the expression lay empowerment, which usually refers to those manifestations of cooperation of lay faithful in the ministry of clerics more often than not in connection with the liturgy. This is the reason for the unreasonable exultation of the phenomenon of lay ministries as an icon or model of commitment of the lay faithful in the Church. If I trained a fish to somehow move on muddy ground, I would not have really empowered it, because it is not proper for a fish to be terrestrial but aquatic. Likewise, if I trained a bird to walk instead of fly, again I wouldnt have empowered it but denatured it somehow, because it could never really walk as well as it could fly, because thats the way it was created. While the so-called lay ministries are licit and laudable, what we cannot forget is that they are many times suppletory in naturei.e., to supply for the lack of ordained ministers, whether temporarily or more stably (cf. c.230). They always constituteto a greater or lesser extenta denaturing of the lay character of being in the world. b. Improper Sense of Lay Empowerment in the Code of Canon Law Improper means not proper or not really pertaining to or not corresponding to. This is the first sense of lay empowerment that we can find in the Code of Canon Law, referring to the manifestations of the cooperation
in perfect unison on concluding the invitation, and that moments of silence or confusion are not unlikely. Therefore, I would not consider it a particular problem if in some places the community arises while the priest is still reciting the Orate, fratres. Since both invitation and response are so brief, it hardly causes any difficulty. It is not foreseen that the people arise after the response, although a bishops conference could legitimately propose to adopt that variation to the missal. It would not correspond to liturgical tradition to remain seated during the prayer over the gifts. The people usually stand, or occasionally kneel, when the priest proclaims any presidential prayer.
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and by our own people, through the Church. We turn to you, Mother of our Redeemer and our Mother: above all creatures may you be blessed, you, the Handmaid of the Lord, who in the fullest way obeyed the divine call. Hail to you, who are wholly united to the redeeming consecration of your Son. Mother of the Church! Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! Help us to live in the truth of the consecration offered by Jesus your Son for the
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
Features
(This article is contributed by Church People Workers Solidarity (CWS)Eds)
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Primer on Labor
Injustice reigns when within the same society some groups hold most of the wealth and power while large strata of the population cannot decently provide for the livelihood of their families even through long hours of backbreaking labor in factories or in the fields. In analyzing the present context, besides identifying the opportunities now opening up in the era of the global economy, one also comes to see the risks connected with the new dimensions of commercial and financial relations. In fact, there are indications that point to a trend of increasing inequalities, both between advanced countries and developing countries, and within industrialized countries. The growing economic wealth made possible by the processes described above is accompanied by an increase in relative poverty. (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 362) Churchs social doctrine says that The challenge is to ensure a globalization in solidarity, a globalization without marginalization (CSDC, 363). The social Magisterium points out the importance of ethical criteria that should form the basis of international economic relations (CSDC 364): the pursuit of the common good and the universal destination of goods; equity in trade relationships; and attention to the rights and needs of the poor in policies concerning trade and international cooperation. Otherwise, the poor nations remain ever poor while the rich ones become still richer [PP, 57]
1. What is Catholic Social Teaching? Answer: Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is an instrument of integral and total salvation. The STC is a valid instrument for action in behalf of justice and participation to transform the world in all its dimensions according to the vision of Jesus Christ. (Paul VI & John Paul II). CST is a Key to Catholic Identity. Just as the social teaching of the church is integral to Catholic faith, the social justice dimension of teaching are integral to Catholic education and catechesis. They are an essential part of Catholic identity and formation. If Catholic education and formation fail to communicate our social tradition, they are not fully Catholic - U.S. Bishops, 1998 The central message is simple: our faith is profoundly social. We cannot be called truly Catholic unless we hear and heed the Churchs call to serve those in need and work for justice and peace. Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Bishops, 1993 2. What are the essential elements of Catholic Social Teaching? Answer: The CST is continually developing its set of: PRINCIPLES (SEE) where Catholics analyze/diagnose reality; CRITERIA (JUDGE) where Catholics evaluate/judge reality; NORMS (ACT) where Catholics as social agents make plans of action to promote changes in society. 3. What are the principles or themes of Catholic Social Teachings? The churchs social teachings are born out of the supreme commandment to love God and our neighbor in justice (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 72). These principles point to us the paths possible for building a good, authentic and renewed social life (Congregation for Catholic Education, 47). A. Human Dignity All of us enjoy an equal dignity for we are all created in the image of one God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1934). Factory workers, farm workers, jeepney drivers, tricycle drivers, vendors, all have equal dignity with business owners, land owners, managers, and government leaders. As human persons, whatever our work, we have rights and duties which are universal and inviolable and must have ready access to all that is necessary for living a genuinely human life: for example, food, clothing, housing, ... the right to education, and work...(Gaudium et Spes, 26) If we fail to realize that people have dignity, Blessed Pope John XXIII said that there can be neither justice nor peace in the world (Mater et Magistra, 21). His Holiness Blessed John Paul II, for his part, speaking to landowners and sugarcane workers in Bacolod in 1981 said, the Church speaks out on behalf of the dignity of the human person, created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ... The human person must live, in the concrete reality of his/her daily life, according to the dignity that is his/hers. B. Common Good Another key principle of the churchs social teaching is the principle of the Common Good, which, according to Blessed Pope John XXIII, embraces the sum total of all those conditions of social life which enable individuals, families, and organizations to achieve complete and effective fulfillment (MM, 74). Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to desire the common good and strive towards it since the more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them (Caritas in Veritate, 7). Blessed John XXIII further said that the realization of the common good in the temporal order is the reason for being of the State or government. It has also the duty to protect the rights of all its people, and particularly of its weaker members, the workers, women and children (MM, 20). Unless these authorities take suitable action with regard to economic, political and cultural matters, inequalities between the citizens tend to become more and more widespread (Pacem in Terris, 63). C. Solidarity Blessed John Paul II said solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is, to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all. ( Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 38) There can be no progress towards the complete development of the human person, without the simultaneous development of all humanity, in the spirit of solidarity. (Populorum Progressio, 43) As sons and daughters of our
Heavenly Father, we are one human family, called to love one another. Pope Benedict XVI in his message for 2011 Mission Sunday thus reminded us that evangelization is a complex process that includes solidarity with those in need. And it is unacceptable to evangelize without addressing the urgent problems of poverty, injustice and oppression. D. Option for the Poor John Paul II said to the people in Bacolod, The Church proclaims her preference for the poor within the totality of her mission of evangelizations that all may come to know Christ and find in the love of God and of neighbor their highest fulfillment. How could one be happy and be fulfilled when one sees the suffering of ones fellow human being, when one sees familieshomeless and hungry? The World Synod of Bishops in 1971 has listened to the cry of those oppressed by unjust systems and structures, have heard the appeal of a world that contradicts the plan of the Creator. The Church then must proclaim the Good News to the poor, freedom to the oppressed, and joy to the afflicted (Justitia in Mundo, 5). The Vatican council, a few years before the World Synod of Bishops already asked individuals and governments: Feed the people dying of hunger, because if you do not feed them you are killing them (Gaudium et Spes, 69). The option for the poor principle states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community. The extent of their suffering is a measure of how far we are from being a true community of persons (Economic Justice for All, 88). We are judged according to how we take care of the most vulnerable members of our community. 4. What are the Churchs Social Teachings on the economic activity of man? There are three fundamental teachings of the Church on the economic life of man: A. The human person is the source and purpose of all economic life; B. All of earths goods are intended by God for everyone; C. Globalization should promote solidarity of all peoples and should not marginalize members of the human family. What is the goal or purpose of economic life? The Church solemnly reaffirmed in the Second Vatican Council, the beginning, the subject and the goal of all social institutions is and must be the human person. (Octogesima Adveniens,14) Pope Paul VI said It is unfortunate that a system has been constructed which considers profit as the key motive for economic progress, competition as the supreme law of economics, and private ownership of the means of production as an absolute right that has no limits... This unchecked liberalism leads to dictatorship rightly denounced by Pius XI as producing the international imperialism of money. One must recall that the economy is at the service of people(PP, 26). In other words, the economy must serve the needs and welfare of all people. Pope Benedict XVI gave a guide that in development programs, the principle of the centrality of the human person must be preserved. The principal concern must be to improve the actual living conditions of the people; and the people who benefit from these programs ought to be directly involved in their planning and implementation. (CV, 47) For whom should the goods of the earth belong? The principle on the universal destination of goods, says that, God intended the earth with everything contained in it for the use of all human beings and peoples. Thus, under the leadership of justice and in the company of charity, created goods should be in abundance for all. (GS, 69) We must reflect on this principle as we witness a lot of conflict on ownership of farm lands, lots occupied by the urban poor and even the Spratlys. Some of these conflicts have become violent, such as in Hacienda Luisita; and here in Cebu, there were 39 people, including women and minors who have been recently jailed, because a wealthy family claimed the land that their ancestors have been tilling the land since 1910. Blessed John Paul II exhorted, The growth of wealth and the moral demands of an equitable distribution of these, must inspire society as a whole to practice the virtue of solidarity, in order to combat, in a spirit of justice and charity, those structures of sin (SRS, 36). How can globalization promote solidarity and equality among all peoples? Thirty years ago, Blessed John Paul II said in Bacolod that, In todays world there are too many situations of injustice. Blessed John Paul II explained that Injustice reigns when some nations accumulate riches and live in abundance while other nations cannot offer the majority of people the basic necessities.
commodity to be freely bought and sold on the market, its price determined by the law of supply and demand (Centesimus Annus, 4). This prompted Blessed John XXIII to stress that Work must be regarded not merely as a commodity, but as a specifically human activity (MM, 18). Blessed JP II for his part, reiterated that that until today, certain objectives stated by Rerum Novarum remain valid, and still constitute a goal yet to be reached, if mans work and his very being are not to be reduced to the level of a mere commodity (CA, 34). The Second Vatican Council thus declared, All violations of the integrity of the human personall offenses against human dignity, such as subhuman living conditionsdegrading working conditions where men/women are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons: all these and the like are criminal: they poison civilization (GS, 27). i. Labor has priority over capital. Churchs doctrines stress that labor has an inherent priority over capital. In the production process, labor is always a primary efficient cause, while capital, the whole collection of means of production, remains a mere instrument or instrumental cause (LE, 12). This means that without labor, production would not be possible. Yet even if labor is the creator of wealth, the worker has been mired in poverty and want, prompting Pope Pius XI
5. What are the Churchs Social Teachings on Labor? Blessed John Paul II, speaking to workers, tricycle and jeepney drivers in Legazpi in 1981 said, Our response to Gods gift of the land is made with human effort and work... Your work is noble because it is a service for your families and for the wider community, which is society. Work is a service in which one grows to the extent to which he/she gives himself/herself for others. Human work is the key to the solution ... of the whole social question (LE, 3).We will now discuss the specific social teachings of the church on labor as highlighted in Blessed John Paul IIs Laborem Exercens (LE), and social encyclicals since Pope Leo XIIIs Rerum Novarum (RN). Human Labor is not a commodity. Work and the workers have dignity. Blessed John Paul IIs LE emphasized that as human persons, we are created in Gods image and are Gods cocreators. We were given the mandate to transform the earth. By our labor we are unfolding the Creators work and contributing to the realization of Gods plan on earth (LE, 25). But the dignity of workers has been taken away from them in some evil situations. In Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII wrote, Working people have been given over, isolated and defenseless, to the callousness of employers and the greed of unrestrained competition (Rerum Novarum, 2). Labor has become a
to say, Capital claimed all the products and profits and left to the laborer the barest minimum necessary to repair his strength and to ensure the continuation of his class. Pope Pius XI deplored an economic law which says all accumulation of riches must fall to the share of the wealthy, while the workingman must remain perpetually in indigence or reduced to the minimum needed for existence (Quadragesimo Anno, 54). ii. Workers have rights. Blessed John Paul II reminded us, Love for others, and especially for the poor, is made concrete by promoting justice (CA, 58). Pope Benedict XVI explained in Caritas in Veritate, that we can only be charitable, after being just to our neighbor. I cannot give what is mine to the other, without first giving him what pertains to him in justice (CV, 6). Thus, loving our brothers and sisters the workers, means being just to them by upholding their rights as workers, as Gods co-creators. The rights of workers, like all other rights, are based on the nature of the human person and on his transcendent dignity (CSDC, 301). The church lists some of workers rights: The right to work; the right to a just wage; [LE, 19] the right to rest; [LE, 19] the right to a working environment and to manufacturing processes which are not harmful to the workers physical health or to their moral integrity; [LE,
19] the right to appropriate subsidies that are necessary for the subsistence of unemployed workers and their families; [LE, 18] the right to a pension and to insurance for old age, sickness, and in case of work-related accidents; [LE,19] the right to social security connected with maternity; [LE, 19] the right to assemble and form associations.[RN 11, QA 183, PT 262, GS 68, LE 20, CA 7] What are the rights of workers? i. Workers have the right to work and full employment. All people have the right to work, to a chance to develop their qualities and their personalities in the exercise of their professions (OA,14). Employment problems challenge the responsibility of the State, whose duty is to promote active employment policies, that is, policies that will encourage the creation of employment opportunities within the national territory (CSDC, 291). Blessed JP II said in Legazpi, A fundamental concern of one and all rulers, labor leaders and businessmen must be this: to give work to everyone. Providing employment must not be taken lightly, or considered a secondary aspect of the economic order and of development. It should be a central element in the aims of economic theory and practice. Situations of unemployment have material and spiritual repercussions on families (CSDC, 295). The CSDC says that Work is a good belonging to all people and must be made available to all who are capable of engaging in it.Full employment therefore remains a mandatory objective for every economic system oriented towards justice and the common good (CSDC, 288). A society in which the right to work is thwarted or systematically denied, and in which economic policies do not allow workers to reach satisfactory levels of employment, cannot be justified from an ethical point of view, nor can that society attain social peace [CA, 43]. ii. Workers have right to fair remuneration The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church says, Remuneration is the most important means for achieving justice in work relationships. They commit injustice who refuse to pay a just compensation or who do not give it in due time and in proportion to the work done (CSDC,302). When discussing wages, Pope Leo XIII stated that a worker who accepts less than a living wage because an employer or contractor will give him no better, is the victim of force and injustice (RN, 34). Blessed Pope John XXIII thus exhorted, We consider it our duty to reaffirm that the remuneration of work is not something that can be left to the laws of the marketplace; nor should it be a decision left to the will of the more powerful. It must be determined in accordance with justice and equity; which means that workers must be paid a wage which allows them to live a truly human life (MM, 71). Is the minimum wage of P426 in NCR, P305 in Cebu and P286 in Davao enough? Blessed John Paul II asserted, Workers not only want fair pay, they also want to share in the responsibility and creativity of the very work process (LE, 13). The workers could also participate in ownership, management and profits. (CSDC 281) Blessed John XXIII declared, It is especially desirable that workers gradually come to share in the ownership of their company, by ways and in the manner that seem most suitable (MM, 77). The teaching on the universal destination of goods means that The means of production cannot be possessed against labor, they cannot even be possessed for possessions sake, because the only legitimate title to their possession--whether in the form of private ownership or in the form of public or collective ownership--is that they should serve labor... One cannot exclude the (possibility of) socialization, in suitable conditions, of certain means of production (LE, 14). iii. Workers have a right to a safe working environment/ manufacturing processes Aside from the right to just compensation, the worker also has a right to a safe working environment. The right to a working environment and to manufacturing processes which are not harmful to the workers physical health or to their moral integrity (should not be overlooked) Besides wages, various social benefits intended to ensure the life and health of workers and their families are necessary (LE, 19). The expenses involved in health care, especially in the case of accidents at work, demand that medical assistance should be easily available for workers and that as far as possible it should be cheap or even free of charge (LE 19). iv. Workers have right to form unions and associations In order to promote and defend their rights, the workers have a right to form associations or labor unions. The Church recognizes the
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FILE PHOTO
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By Sheila Liaugminas
would lead to murder charges was jaw-dropping. Such a charge meant the declaration, much less recognition, that terminating a fetus is murder. Even though it hinged on the will of the mother, or maybe especially so. Because it focused the attention on what it means to end a human life, and it was a watershed moment. As we awaited the jurys verdict in the Gosnell trial, the newly incarcerated Castro faced aggravated murder charges for terminating pregnancies. Based on the facts of the case, authorities said they intend to seek charges not only for the sexual assaults endured by the victims, but also each act of aggravated murder he committed by terminating pregnancies. That alone is a startling statement. Think about what each act of aggravated murder he committed by terminating pregnancies means. We were already thinking about the idea of murdering babies in the Gosnell trial before this news broke. Monday, the Gosnell trial jury returned their verdict. Guilty, of murdering babies. A 72-year-old doctor whose abortion clinic was described by prosecutors as a house of horrors was convicted of firstdegree murder in the deaths of three babies born alive. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was acquitted of killing a fourth baby during a late-term abortion in a dirty clinic that served mostly low-income women and teens, and went years without a state inspection. Theres a saga contained within those two sentences. The horribly filthy clinic required that the grand jury visiting it prior to the trial wear Hazmat suits. How was it not shut down by authorities a long time ago? Because a long time ago state authorities stopped inspecting
Features
it, a nationwide problem with abortion clinics. And note that this house of horrors served mostly low-income women, minorities and minors. It was far worse than despicable. Prosecutors said Gosnell delivered the babies alive and killed them by cutting their spines with scissors. He was also convicted of manslaughter for the death of one of the women who suffered terribly at the hands of this abortionist. The verdict does not satisfy all critics. Some time before the decision was announced, Pastor Luke Robinson, who was keynote speaker at the 2012 March for Life, told The Washington Times, The whole health department of Pennsylvania should be on trial for allowing these atrocities. Law enforcement officials raided Gosnells abortion business in 2010, believing he merely ran a pill mill, dispensing prescriptions for narcotics to make a quick buck. What they found shocked and nauseated them. Inside his house or horrors, they found unsanitized equipment that transmitted STDs between patients, urineand blood-soaked recliners for post-abortion recovery, and dismembered fetal body parts The violations filled a 250-page Grand Jury Report. During his closing argument, Cameron dramatically asked Gosnell, Are you human? The atrocities unfolded with the tacit permission of numerous levels of authority in the government, as well as within the health care and abortion industries. It has caused some prominent or high-profile pro-choice advocates to reconsider their beliefs, starting from their very premise, and the idea of what
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
MOTHERS Day just passed with fair weather and loving celebrations in much of the country. But it was surrounded by a perfect storm. I was already saying that about the five week trial of notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell and the grisly details of his house of horrors revealed in the grand jury report, along with the Live Action undercover videos of other abortion clinics doing late-term abortions, together with the presidents untimely and ill-advised address embracing Planned Parenthood and pledging his fidelity to the abortion giant. But that was before the three young women held captive for a decade were discovered and rescued, and the horrific details of their captivity became known. So while the Gosnell jury was in the second week of deliberation over such inhumane treatment of women and their babies, the facts about Cleveland abductor/ captor Ariel Castro and his own house of horrors started coming out and we learned about his inhumane treatment of young women and the babies they conceived by him, and it was all more than any civilized person could get their mind around. Which pushed the idea of brutality against innocent human life to the front of our minds and the front page of the news. Its about time. And especially timely in the week leading up to the celebration of Motherhood. The CNN report that Ariel Castro repeatedly punched one of his pregnant victims in the stomach to force the miscarriage of an aborted fetus, and that this happened over several different pregnancies, was breathtakingly shocking. That it
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abortion is. And then there are entrenched abortion defenders, as this CNN piece reveals. They admit the Gosnell case is terrible But that doesnt mean it sets a precedent, CNN legal analyst Paul Callan said. The testimony in this case was so graphic and so horrific. It was described literally as a house of horrors taking place in this Philadelphia clinic, Callan said. So I think that most objective observers will say that ultimately this will be an isolated case, hopefully, and that its simply a case where prosecutors had to act. It had nothing to do with being pro- or anti-abortion. Yes, it did. And no, it wasnt an isolated case. The two are related, as the recent Live Action undercover videos from several
abortion clinics reveal. Gosnell was no aberration. We have arrived at a point where were not only reconsidering the reality and terminology of abortion, but the realities of human life itself. And the importance of maternity to a womans identity. Some mothers have become used to apologizing for just being stay-at-home moms. At social gatherings, a woman can be introduced as a mother only to receive the stunningly obtuse follow-up question, Do you work? Women representing different strands of feminist thought, including those who distance themselves from any type of feminism, struggle with this tension. I had a unique experience of this several years ago, attending
a conference on maternal feminism at Barnard College in New York. Participants were challenged to see if they could agree that, for many women, maternity is a defining part of their identity. We are at a defining moment. The civil rights movement has extended into todays pro-life movement and it just gained more ground by fate or providence than it could have by addresses and marches and witnesses, as much as they have continued to advance the cause of human life and dignity. That it happened by horrible high profile crimes against humanity was astonishing and unforeseen. But not unimaginable after forty years of experiencing the logic of abortion carried out, and what it really was all along.
fundamental role played by labor unions, whose existence is connected with the right to form associations or unions to defend the vital interests of workers employed in the various professions. The Church in the Modern World (CMW) clearly states: Among the basic rights of the human person is to be numbered the right of freely founding unions for working people. (CMW, #68) Unions grew up from the struggle of the workersworkers in general, but especially the industrial workersto protect their just rights vis--vis the entrepreneurs and the owners of the means of production [LE 20]. Such organizations, while pursuing their specific purpose with regard to the common good, are a positive influence for social order and solidarity, and are therefore an indispensable element of social life (CSDC, 305). But 120 years since Rerum Novarum which promoted the right of workers to organize associations, we are saddened that in Mactan Export Processing Zone in Cebu and in other Export Processing Zones in the country, there is not even a single viable labor union. Pope Benedict XVI exhorts, repeated calls issued within the Churchs social doctrine, beginning with Rerum Novarum, for the promotion of workers associations must be honored today even more than in the past (CV, 25). v. Workers have right to strike Connected to the right to form unions is the right to strike. The Churchs social doctrine recognizes the legitimacy of striking when it cannot be avoided, or
at least when it is necessary to obtain a proportionate benefit,[CCC 2435] when every other method for the resolution of disputes has been ineffectual.[GS 68, LE 20, CCC 2430] The encyclical On Human Work reminds us that one of the methods used by unions is the strike, or work stoppage a means that is recognized by Catholic social teaching as legitimate under the proper conditions and within proper limits. Workers should be assured of the right to strike without fear of penalty. (OHW, #20) Striking, one of the most difficult victories won by labor union associations, may be defined as the collective and concerted refusal on the part of workers to continue rendering their services, for the purpose of obtaining by means of such pressure exerted on their employers, the State or on public opinion either better working conditions or an improvement in their social status. Striking as a kind of ultimatum [LE 20] must always be a peaceful method for making demands and fighting for ones rights (CSDC, 304) The violation of the right to organize and to strike is frowned upon by Blessed John Paul II who said to the people in Bacolod, It has been the constant teaching of the Church that workers have a right to unite in free associations for the purpose of defending their interest and contributing as responsible partners to the common good. Such associations should be protected by appropriate laws which should guarantee the free pursuit of the social welfare of all their members and of the workers in general.
Based from the testimony of our brothers and sisters, we see a systematic violation of their fundamental rights: Contractualization has violated the workers right to gainful employment/ security of tenure. Unfair compensation and unsafe working conditions have dehumanized our toiling brothers and sisters. Moreover, the workers rights to organize labor unions and to strike are being grossly violated in the Philippine setting. 6. What are the conditions of our workers in the mining industry? What are the Church Social Teachings on mining? While utilizing God-given resources for the people needs, we must always remember that we are stewards of Gods creation. We must defend and protect Mother Nature and the human persons who live and work in this planet. Blessed John Paul II however lamented the tendency towards an ill-considered exploitation of the resources of creation. The conquest and exploitation of resources has become predominant and invasive, and today it has even reached the point of threatening the environments hospitable aspect: the environment as resource risks threatening the environment as home. Because of the powerful means of transformation offered by technological civilization, it sometimes seems that the balance between man and the environment has reached a critical point (JP 2, The Environment and Health, March 1997).
A central point of reference for every scientific and technological application is respect for men and women, which must also be accompanied by a necessary attitude of respect for other living creatures (CSDC, 459). 7. What are the Church Social Teachings on Immigration/Migrants? The CSDC says, In the modern world, where there are still grave inequalities between rich countries and poor countries, and where advances in communications quickly reduce distances, the immigration of people looking for a better life is on the increase. These people come from less privileged areas of the earth and their arrival in developed countries is often perceived as a threat to the high levels ofeconomic growth (CSDC, 297). Blessed John Paul II in Laborem Exercens said, Emigration in search for work must in no way become an opportunity for financial or social exploitation. As regards the work relationship, the same criteria should be applied to immigrant workers as to all other workers in the society concerned (LE, 23). Immigrants are to be received as persons and helped, together with their families, to become a part of societal life [CCC, 2241]. At the same time, conditions that foster increased work opportunities in peoples place of origin are to be promoted as much as possible [GS, 66]. 8. What are the Church Social Teachings on workers participation in social/ economic life?
a. Why is it that workers rights are violated? The teachings of the church point to the structures of sinwhich generate and perpetuate poverty, underdevelopment and degradation. These structures are built and strengthened by numerous concrete acts of human selfishness (CSDC, 332). To combat this social evil, everyone must work to promote the right of workers to participate in governance and decision-making in society. Everyone has the right to participate in economic life and the duty to contribute, each according to his own capacity to the progress of his own country and to that of the entire human family (CSDC, 333) . Blessed John XXIII reminded us of the urgency of giving everyone who works, his proper dignity by making him a true sharer in the work he does with others: every effort should be made that the enterprise become a community of persons in the dealings, activities and standing of all its members(PP, 28). b. How can the State promote common good and the rights of the workers? The State can encourage citizens and businesses to promote the common good by enacting an economic policy that fosters the participation of all citizens in the activities of production (CSDC, 354). It is in keeping with their dignity as persons that human beings should take an active part in government (PT, 73). 9. What is Church of the Poor? How can we become a Church of the Poor? The Second Plenary Council of the
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No. of Dioceses participating in the Bible Campaign 85 out of 86 Dioceses Bibles Distributed (Jan 1, 2013 - May 2, 2013): 83.131 copies Bibles Distributed by Languages - Bicol (2,041 cps.) Cebuano (19,100 cps.) English TEV (9,408 cps.), English NABRE (1,130 Hiligaynon (8,592 cps.), Ilocano (2,374 cps.), Pampango (603 cps.), Parishes/Communities served in 2031: 1,370 Total Bible Distribution: (Jan 2009- May 2, 2013): 891,750 cps. Target No. of Bibles for Distribution for 2013: 600,000 cps.
Bible Campaign
Members of the MTBO Advisory Committee: Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo DD, Fr. Oscar A. Alunday, Mr. Rod G. Cornejo, Mr. Rene E. Cristobal Sr., Dr. Philip C. Flores, Mr. Dante M. Lanorio, Fr. Antonio B. Navarrete, Dr. Natividad B. Pagadut, Mr. Albert S. Tanlimco and Atty. Jose Tale. Praise God for the growing number of people getting involved in the prayer movement for the May They Be One (MTBO) Bible campaign so that 5 million Filipino homes will receive a copy of the Bible. Pray for more parishes, schools and offices to host the Handwritten Unity Bible activity, (an MTBO program,) in a nationwide multisectoral celebration of Gods Word. To learn more about how you can be part of the Campaign and make significant change, call Helen or Edna at PBS 524-5337, ECBA 5279386 or visit www.bible.org.ph and www.ecba-cbcp.com. Donations can be made by making a deposit to the following bank accounts: PBS-MTBO Account #3903-064934 (BPI Sta. Mesa Branch) Fax deposit slip to 521-5803 or ECBACBCP Account #0251-021376 (BPITayuman Branch) Fax deposit slip to 527-9386. For credit card payments go to PBS website (www. bible.org.ph)
Addie Mena/CNA
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
Statements
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Stop the DMCI Coal Plant in Palawan No to Coal in the Philippines
Joint Statement of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), SANLAKAS and Freedom from Debt Coalition-Cebu (FDC-Cebu)
WE, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), SANLAKAS and Freedom from Debt Coalition-Cebu (FDC-Cebu), a broad movement of basic sectors, grassroots communities and civil society organizations leading the joint struggles, campaigns and actions for climate justice, are one with Palaweos and the Palawan Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE) in its call to resist the establishment of coal-fired power plants in Palawan. We firmly believe that nothing good can come out of the proposed DMCI coal plant project. This project will not only directly put in great danger an endemic and critically-endangered bird speciesthe Palawan Cockatoo or Katalait will expose communities to unnecessary health and environmental hazards. The power plant will be built in Barangay Panacan, Narra, less than a kilometer away from Rassa Island, the birds habitat. Risks and threats from the coal plant Coal is a dirty and harmful source of energy. Once burned it produces chemicals that cause acid rain and emit carbon dioxide (CO2), a known greenhouse gas (GHG) responsible for global warming which fuels climate change. We do not subscribe to DMCIs argument that it will employ clean coal technology by using Circulating Fluidized Bed Technology (CFBT), thus addressing the potential bad effects posed by the coal plant. CFBT is ONLY capable to some degree in eliminating sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, gases that are released during combustion; and which are responsible for acid rains. It does not address other derivatives like carbon monoxide, mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals which are scientifically proven to be hazardous and lethal to all living organisms, humans included. Naga, Cebus experience with CFBT shows that the socalled clean coal technology produces four times more coal ash compared to conventional coal plants.
(Note: the following two statements were issued specifically for the May 13, 2013 elections. We are reprinting them for the catechetical value they containEds)
Dear People of God, On May 13, 2013, we shall be casting our votes. We will do it because it is our patriotic duty as Filipino citizens. We will do it because it is our sacred duty as Christians. Let us then do it out of love for our country and in the spirit of obedience to God. Yet, this vital duty seems to be lost on our part. We really no longer do it because we love our country and our God. Election becomes an occasion of sin. For instance, vote-buying and vote-selling are rampant. Election has become a lucrative business both for the politicians and the citizens. Resorting to violence has become a logical option for those whose power lies in guns, goons and gold. These and many more are indicators of an alarming reality crying out for change. The words of the Philippine bishops continue to echo today. Philippine politics, the way it has been and is still being practiced, is possibly the biggest bane in our life as a nation, and the most pernicious obstacle to our achieving full human development (Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics, CBCP 1997) What shall we do then? We continue what we have begun and what have been doing always as a Church. We engage in the educational task inherent in our mission of integral evangelization. Priests will continue to preach the Gospel as it is lived in the context of our life as Filipino citizens. Parents will fulfill their roles as teachers to their children by demonstrating, especially through their deeds, the sacredness of voting. Young people will be mobilized to vote and to be involved in the work of voters-education and poll watching. Voters Assistance Desks shall be organized in all parishes and be deployed in polling precinct. Our media arms, especially Radyo Veritas and Veritas TV, shall be utilized to ensure that accurate reports of election incidents be given and be acted upon with dispatch. The Commission on Social Concerns will steer our efforts and coordinate with the different commissions and parishes in our duty to help ensure honest and peaceful elections. But we must do something more! We
must ensure that the fire on the altar is kept burning. In the Old Testament, one of the duties of the temple priest is to keep the fire in the altar burning (cf. Lev. 6:6). That fire is sign of Gods presence in the midst of His people. The fire is also an assurance of Gods promises and His faithfulness to it. The fire displays Gods power. The fire proclaims that. He is a living God who hears the prayer of those who call upon His name (cf. Gen. 15:17-21; Ex 14:24; 1 Kg 18:23-29). To keep the fire burning is our duty as a priestly people. We must keep God alive in our life as a nation. We have to put God back in our manner of exercising our political rights. God must be at the center of our choices and must pervade our consciousness. In this way, we keep the fire at the altar burning and we keep it through our life of prayer. Thus, I make this invitation to every parish, family, group and individual. Let us before, during and after the election move from the altar to the polling places and back to the altar. Starting on May 10, Triduum Masses will be held in all parishes for this intention. On May 12, Sunday, we shall ask the children, who normally ask for blessing at the end of the mass, to give their blessing instead to voters so that the latter may choose rightly and vote for the sake of their future. On this eve of the elections, I ask that in every home, a candle be lit at the family altar where every member will gather to pray the Holy Rosary for the same intention. In all parishes, vigils with a Holy Hour will be conducted. A formation module for young voters and volunteers, Kabataang Bayani, may be utilized for this occasion. I ask the Commissions on Worship, Family and Life and the Youth, both in the parochial and diocesan levels to coordinate these activities. On May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, I ask you to attend Mass in your parishes before you go to the polling places. I ask every parish priest to open his parish church so that people can visit the Blessed Sacrament and ask for inspiration, guidance and grace before they cast their votes. Through prayer, we keep the fire at the altar burning. Let our votes as Catholics be
defined by this fire that comes from above. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the disciples of Jesus. Borrowing the words used by His Grace, Rolando J. Tria Tirona, O.C.D., DD, Archbishop of Caceres (Pastoral Letter on Caceres Voters Education Program, 24 March 2013), and adding some words of my ownthis is what should define the vote of the Catholic faithful FIRE! A Catholic Vote is FREE. It is not duly influenced by money nor coerced by fear. It respects the free will of a man and a woman. A Catholic Vote is INFORMED. It knows how to discern good from evil, the just from the unjust, the truth from lies. It flows from an understanding of our Christian faith and its implication to our moral life. A Catholic Vote is RENEWED. It is exercised by a person whose heart finds its center in the heart of Christ, the source of every renewal. Thus, each ballot cast by a Catholic is a potent force for the renewal of society. Lastly, a Catholic Vote is EVANGELIZED. When a Catholic goes to the precincts, he proclaims the Gospel by standing for the crucial issues of life and justice in behalf of the unborn and the importance of the family, the dignity of the poor and the future of our young people. A Catholic Vote is inflamed by the FIRE on the altar of Goda FREE, INFORMED, RENEWED and EVANGELIZED conscience vote. In this Year of Faith, let us confess our Christian Faith in the polling precincts. Let our faith as Catholics make its mark in our ballot. Together with our Ina, Our Lady of Salvation, let us pray for the outpouring of the fire of the Holy Spirit upon us. We say with Her, Come, Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of your divine love and renew the face of the earth! Given this 7th of May 2013 at the Diocesan Chancery in Legazpi City. +JOEL Z. BAYLON Bishop of Legazpi Rev. Fr. Joseph A. Salando Chancellor-Secretary
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Ref lections
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
www.catholictradition.org/
world, so I have sent them into the world; I consecrate myself for their sakes now that they may be consecrated in the truth (17:18-19).Because of the Spirit, they will even do greater things (14:12), have a more penetrating understanding of Jesus teaching (14:26), and they will be able to carry out the task even in a hostile world (15:25-26). It is interesting to note that standing in awe at current development, many think that the success of the Churchs mission depends on the use of technology, money, alliance with governments, and wisdom of missionaries.Of course, these may be important.But what is decisive is the Holy Spirit. Without his power, all efforts will not succeed.John Paul II made a similar observation in hisNovo millennio ineunte: There is the temptation which perennially besets every spiritual journey and pastoral work: that of thinking that the results depend on our ability to act and to plan.God of course asks us to really cooperate with his grace, and therefore invites us to invest all our resources of intelligence and energy in serving the cause of the Kingdom.But it is fatal to forget that without Christ we can do nothing (Cf John 15:5).The Holy Spirits power alone is life-giving.When God breathed into the nostril of the man he formed out of the clay, Adam became a living being (Gen 2:7). What is the mission?Simply to celebrate liturgy or confine itself to the sacristy, as some critics often argue about the Churchs mission? According to
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An Exegetical Reflection on the Gospel of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity John 16:12-15, May 26, 2013
By Msgr. Lope Robredillo, SThD C.
THAT people in ancient times easily believed in the existence of an intelligent being who is different from earthly beings is reasonable enough.Because they were confronted with a universe that was beyond their grasp, they naturally posited the existence of someone from whom come what they see and what they hear.But his existence was not a problem.The problem was how to discover the secrets of this intelligent being.Because it was important to get in touch with him in order to have good health, life, solution to many questions and other things which they were not capable of making or acquiring, ancient people had recourse to dreams, omens, divination, casting lots, and astrology, among others.It was thought that by these techniques, they could discover the mind of this intelligent being. But the Christian God, our God, is not a God who hides his face from men.On the contrary, he is a God of revelation. He discloses himself and his plan of salvation to man. In communicating to man his plan to save him, God likewise reveals who he himself is to mana Trinity. The belief that there are three persons in one God is distinctive of Christianity; other revealed religions, like Judaism and Islam, do not have this belief.In Christianity, however, it is one of the fundamental beliefs of religion; it belongs to the heart of what Christianity means. But belief is one thing; explaining the belief is another.And efforts to explain it have been less successful.Of course, traditional theology, framed in Greek categories of thinking, uses such concepts as substance, persons, hypostasis and relations to unravel the mystery.But while these make sense to one who has studied in the university, the attempt is hardly intelligible to the average modern reader who has not been schooled in scholastic theology. In todays Gospel (John 16:1215), however, which forms part of Jesus farewell discourse at the last supper, John provides us with a dynamic approach to the Trinity, which focuses on the roles of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the work of revelation and redemption. In John, God does not communicate himself except through the Son.The revelation
ENCOUNTERS
RH Law controversies
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plan includes two interrelated stages: redemption through Jesus Christ; healing process and sanctification through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ reconciled mankind with God and broke down the barriers separating Jews from Gentiles, man from man, and soul from body. (See Rom 5:10 and Eph 2:13-18.) The Spirit makes the power of Christs Redemption present and operative in all corners of the world and for all generations, and thereby undo all forms of devastation produced by sin. The Spirit is the one who heals the wounds caused by conflicting interests and binds into a harmonious whole the variety of human resources and efforts. It is for such a purpose that the Risen Christ breathed his Spirit on his Apostles and sent it as a mighty wind to the whole community of believers on Pentecost Day. (See Jn 20:2223 and Acts 2:1-4.) Thus he gave the whole
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THE Catholic Church in the Philippines through the Bishops Conference has expressed its clear opposition to the RH Bill/ Law. Speaking in behalf of the Conference, Archbishop Socrates Villegas wrote in the 2012 Pastoral Letter of the CBCP, dated December 15, 2012: On behalf of the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), currently out of the country, I reiterate the collective discernment of the Philippine Bishops that the RH Bill if passed into law can harm our nation. The RH Bill is being gift-wrapped to look like a gift for maternal health care. It is not so. It will lead to greater crimes against women. We congratulate the one hundred four (104) congressmen and women who voted NO to the RH Bill. You have voted courageously, despite all pressures, to stand up for what is right and true The truth is that to be pro-child, pro-mother and pro-poor, we must resist all threats against them. This is justice. Stand up for it; defend it; do not be swayed by worldly pleasures, and be the champion of the people who voted for you. God knows and sees what you are doing. Basically the main reason for the Churchs stand is that she stands in defense of the basic rights of man, which are the rights to life, liberty and property. And therefore those measures that go in contradiction to that basic respect for life or cause harm to the life of the human being will certainly fall under that basic 5th of Gods ten commandments: You shall not kill (cf. Deut. 5:17). We must be honest with ourselves and not deceive ourselves with other worldly interests or attractions and excuses that may cost us the eternal damnation of our souls. As Archbishop Villegas mentions in his statement above God knows and sees what you are doing.
Bo Sanchez
SOULFOOD
Holy Trinity
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
OUR belief in the TrinityOne God in three Personsis no vain fantasizing about a remote mathematical riddle. Rather, it is the humble and grateful acceptance in faith of the great mystery of Divine Love which concerns and encompasses us all. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bound together into one Godhead by their eternal, mutual love, are also related to each one of us and all mankind. The Blessed Trinity is the source of all that we are and the fulfillment of all that we aspire to be. The fundamental relationship between the three divine Persons and us can be expressed through one common denominator: loving concern and care. But such a shared concern and care, filled with love for us, takes on a different and complementary role in the divine Persons, according to the characteristics of Each of them. Thus, the Fathers concern and care for us started with creationespecially our own and reached its peak in the gift of His Son and the Holy Spirit. The love of the Father accompanies us each moment, till we reach
the end for which He created us: eternal life in Him. The loving concern and care of the divine Word is particularly evident in the work of our Redemption, which started with the Incarnation, reached its peak in his death and resurrection, and is continually made available to all men through the ministry of the Church. We experience the loving concern and care of the Holy Spirit when He makes us members of the Body of Christ and adopted sons and daughters of the Father. He is the one who consoles and protects us; who
leads us to the knowledge of all truth. He is the one who fills our hearts with faith, hope, and love. He fills our lives with meaning and holiness and empowers us to live according to the Gospel. All this the three divine Persons do for us not in isolation or competition among themselves, but in beautiful cooperation and harmony, for they are but one God, who has only one aim: our eternal happiness. The mystery of the Blessed Trinity, then, concerns us all, very personally and very deeply.
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CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
Social Concerns
values and the good people who make it happen. We recently celebrated Fair Trade Week and now in May, the World Fair Trade Day. What we are celebrating is the fact that millions of people around the world are involved one way or the other in producing, trading and consuming foods and products that are produced under strict rules and criteria so that only good comes from it. I can tell you a lot about the benefits of Fair Trade in the lives of the poor because I have made Preda Fair Trade an important part of my missionary work in the Philippines for the past forty years. Juanito was a trained bag maker in a local commercial factory but was fired out after he asked for higher pay for his high skills. He then had to live with his poor family scavenging on a smokey mountain of garbage, eating throwaway food until the social workers of Preda Fair Trade found him and offered to set him up in a small bag sewing enterprise. He got a Preda sewing machine and orders for school back packs. He got a good pay and benefits, medical insurance and help to build a house from the Preda development assistance fund. At Preda Fair Trade for example, fair and just payments are made on time to the producers, and social benefits such as educational assistance, medical insurance and profit sharing bonus payments are made. Then customers and World Shops get high quality Preda products like healthy chemical free dried mangos and drinks and other fairly traded products. The customers and World Shop managers and volunteers selling fairly traded products are happy to be getting great quality food. Preda dried mangos are produced in a way that gives the customers the satisfaction of a right conscience. They are happy in the knowledge that they are doing the right thing and glad to pay a few more pence or cents knowing that the exploitation of women and children is totally banned and eliminated in the production of the goods that they purchase. They are part of the Preda social action that saves women and children from the evil forms of trade like sex slavery and human trafficking. When they ask for and buy the Preda products, they help to free children from subhuman prisons.
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THERE are hundreds of thousands of good people around the world trying to make a difference in the lives of the poor and exploited people of this planet. They are working to see that the poor rise above subsistence living and have a dignified human and prosperous life. These good people are deeply concerned about the lives of the poor, the exploited and trafficked children, and they want to save the environment from poisonous chemicals and destruction and reverse the damaging effects of climate change. These are the enlightened customers of Fair Trade who use their shopping money to make a positive and meaningful difference in the lives of thousands of poor villagers in Africa and Asia. These are the customers of Fair Trade products and by using their consumer power and choose to buy a Fair Trade product they can bring about justice, respect and happiness in the lives of those who have less in life. This time of the year, we celebrate these life-enhancing
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In the Philippines, I set out to implement, through Fair Trade, the spiritual and social teaching of Jesus of Nazareth to help bring about a more just society. In the past years, a strong nationwide band of dedicated Filipinos have worked ceaselessly, many risking and losing their lives, to change it. Positive economic change and social improvement has come slowly. Too slowly and
much more has yet to come. Fair Trade has been one of the ways that has greatly lessened the dire hunger and want in many homes and villages. But poverty and injustice is not over. The rich are getting richer. Yet for all those hundreds of small mango farmers and producers in Preda Fair Trade, I have seen the joy and happiness of the small mango farmers when they get paid a
higher price for the mango fruits from Preda Fair Trade and get a bonus after harvest. You can see it in their smiles and shining eyes. Then some pay debts, others use the higher earnings and bonuses to start a small piggery, a village store or a chicken raising project. Fair Trade is a realistic way to help people to help themselves grow out of poverty. There is much to celebrate and much more to do.
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Philippines (PCP II) asserts that the local church should be a church of the poor. The encyclical Economic Justice for All (EJA) guides us how to concretize this challenge: As followers of Christ, we are challenged to make a fundamental option for the poorto speak for the voiceless, to defend the defenseless, to assess life styles, policies, and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response. (EJA , #16) Furthermore, Pope John Paul II reminds us that love for others, and especially for the poor, is made concrete by promoting justice. (The Hundredth Year, #5) Blessed John Paul II told the poor people in Tondo, 30 years ago, The Church herself, the Church in Asia, in the Philippines, will heed the call of the Beatitudes and be the Church of the poor because she must do what Jesus did and proclaim the Gospel to the por. Defending the human dignity of the poor and their hope for a human future is not a luxury for the Church, nor is it a strategy of opportunism, nor a means for currying favor with the masses. It is her
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duty because it is God who wishes all human beings to live in accordance with the dignity that he bestowed on them. There is a need for solidarity movements among and with the workers. The church is firmly committed to this cause, in fidelity to Christ, and to be truly the church of the poor (LE, 8). Failing to fulfill the great commandment to love our neighbor is a sin of omission. One may sin by greed and the desire for power, but one may also sin in these matters through fear, indecision, and cowardice! (SRS, 47) 10. What is the role of the bishops, priests, religious and laity in addressing social problems/issues? a. Our church doctrines say In the particular Church, the primary responsibility for the pastoral commitment to evangelize the social realities falls to the Bishop, assisted by his priests, religious men and women, and the laity. With special reference to local realities, the Bishop is responsible for promoting the teaching and diffusion of the Churchs social doctrine, which he should do through appropriate institutions (CSDC, 539). b. Through the servant-leadership of the priest, the people of God are inspired
and formed to become an evangelizing and prophetic community. He makes real to the Christian community Christs love of preference for the poor (PCP 2, 527 & 525). c. An urgent dimension is for the religious to have a passion for justice. Injustice must be attacked at its roots which are in the human heart by transforming these attitudes and habits which beget injustice and foster the structures of oppression (PCP 2, 481). d. The lay faithful are called through their words and works, their engagement in each and every work and business of the earth, in each and every circumstance of their existenceto permeate the world with the teachings of Christ and to animate the temporal order with His Spirit (PCP 2, 427). The lay faithful are called to heal and transform society, to prepare the temporal order for the final establishment of the Kingdom of God (PCP2, 435).
References: Bishop Gerardo A. Alminaza, DD. Churchs Social Teachings on Human Work, talk given on the 30th Anniversary of Laborem Exercens, National Conference of Church People and Workers, September 13, 2011. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994.
Documents of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II), 1973. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 2004 Pope Benedict XIV. Caritas in Veritate, 2006 Pope John XXIII. Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Prorgess), 1961 ________. Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), 1963 Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1991 ________. Laborem Exercens (On Human Work), 1981 ________. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern), 1988 ________. The Environment and Health, 1997 Pope Leo XIII. Rerum Novarum, 1891 Pope Paul VI. Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization in the Modern World), 1975 ________. Octogesima Adveniens (A Call to Action), 1971 ________. Populorum Progressio (The Development of Peoples), 1967 Pope Pius XI. Quadragesimo Anno (Reconstruction of the Social Order), 1931 Synod of Bishops. Justitia in Mundo (Justice in the World), 1971 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Economic Justice for All, 1986. ________. Communities of Salt and Light, 1993. Vatican II Document. Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the Modern World)
John, the Churchs mission is to continue the mission of the Son (John 20:21).The Church does not engage in a new work. The mission of Jesus is simply carried out and interpreted in various times, places and situations. As Jesus did, so the Church must bring life: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may haveeternal life (3:16); I came that they may havelifeand have it to the full (10:10).The Church must bring this message of life to individuals, communities, and the world. By life, John of course means neither natural life nor everlasting life but eternal lifethe vital and intimate relationship with the Father and the Son, which comes from faith in Jesus and being obedient to his word.As such, it is eschatological, and one who receives thislifedwells in the sphere where God dwells.This is life in its highest degree. What destroys that life is not death, because it survives bodily death but sin. (This is the Johannine equivalent to the Synoptic focus on the Kingdom of God which appears only thrice in John.)And the Church will be able to give that life because the Spirit himself, who gives power to the Church and its mission, gives life, and is the source of eternal life.
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the Son to have life in himself (5:21-26). The Father bears witness to the Son especially through the works which he does through him: These very works which I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has himself given testimony on my behalf (5:36b-37a).(It is for this reason that later theological dispute would assert that the Father and the Son are one in nature and in operation.) Because the Son is the fullness of the Fathers revelation, what then is the role of the Holy Spirit in Gods communication?In saying that I have much more to tell you (16:12), Jesus does not mean that there will be further revelation after his resurrection. Rather, what he means is that it will be only after his rising from the dead that there will befull understandingof his revelation. And it is the role of the Holy Spirit to guide the Church to the depths and heights and the fullness of Gods revelation in Jesus: When he comes, however, being the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you to all truth (16:13a). The account of the early Church provides an example.An Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace of the Ethiopians, had come on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.While returning home, sitting on the carriage, he read a passage of Isaiah, but could not grasp it.It was not until Philip, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, guided the eunuch that he was able to understand that the Suffering Servant in Isa 53:7-8 referred to Jesus (Acts 8:26-35). The Holy Spirit does not mediate any new revelation, therefore. Instead, he merely draws on the fullness of that revelation in Jesus; what he conveys to the Church he receives from the Son: he will take what is mine and declare it to you (John 16:14). (In
later theological reflection, this gave rise to the dispute on whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.) He interprets and applies what he receives from Jesus to each coming generation in terms of its significance for the contemporary situation in the Church:he will speak only what he hears, and he will declare the things to come (16:13). That is why when the Magisterium, the Church as Teacher, proposes to the faithful something on doctrine or morals, it does not enunciate a new doctrine, but only interprets for the present generation what has already been said in the Sacred Scriptures. To conclude: when speaking of the roles of the Trinity, it has been customary to say that the Father creates, the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies.This probably explains why images of the Trinity portrays the Father with extended hands, with the sun, the moon and the stars behind him, as if he were in the act of creating, the Son crucified on the cross, which is the wood of redemption, and the Holy Spirit as bright dove with extended rays. Strictly speaking, however, this cannot be accepted without many nuances.Creation, for example, may be attributed to the Father, but it is clear that all things came through [the Son] (1:3) in the power of Gods Spirit (Gen 1:2; 2:7). The same may be said of redemption and holiness.Thus the Eucharistic Prayer III:All life, all holiness, comes from you [Father], through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit.But todays Gospel provides us with an easier way of understanding the Trinity in terms of the role of each person in Gods communication: the Father communicates to men through the Son in the Holy Spirit.
Church, represented by its initial members, the unifying bond that alone can reconcile people with God, among themselves and within themselves. From that moment on, Pentecost was revealed to the world as the anti-Babel event. And since the root of all mankinds disasters is sin, the Spirit is given to the Church as the anti-sin power. The Spirit of love and unity counteracts the negative effects of hatred, division, rejection, exploitation, and disorderly passions . . . through the balm of forgiveness, trust, and harmony. He builds up the new man by instilling in every human being a new faith, a new hope, a new love . . . Thus is the history of humankind transformed into a constant effort to undo the disaster of Babel, and to build up the Kingdom of harmony and love which Christ came to establish and which will find its completion in the New Jerusalem of the world to come.
We are fortunate to have come to know it already in this life. Its very revelation through Jesus is a further sign of the Trinitys loving care for mankind. Such a wonderful tripersonal love of God demands an adequate response on our part. The first form of response is acceptance of this mystery with humble faith and gratitude, even when it hurts our intellectual pride. The second is the desire to honor each of the three divine Persons in our thoughts, attitudes, words, and deeds. The third form of response is our commitment to love the Blessed Trinity with all our heart, and above all, as God alone deserves to be loved. Such a free, faith-driven response will be rewarded a thousandfold not only in the life to come, but also during our days on earth. Nothing can fill more our hearts with peace and contentment, than the certitude that the Blessed Trinity loves us and lives in us.
future investors, we can now clearly see the direction being pursued by the Government continued reliance on coal to fuel the countrys energy requirements. Undermining adaptive capacity Relying on dirty and harmful energy sources like coal will in the long run destroy the adaptive capacity of communities to confront the negative impacts of climate change. This is very true in the Philippines as shown in the experiences in the aftermath of Sendong and Pablo. We call on the people of Palawan to resist this project and any similar attempts to invest in carbon-intensive technologies. We call upon the Aquino Government to immediately implement a moratorium on all coal mining operations nationwide, to shift investment to coal plants in favor of clean, accessible renewable energy for
the people. The national governments energy plans must ensure that power generated respond to the domestic requirements that would power development for the people and not for a handful of profit-seeking corporations. The welfare of the people and the protection and preservation of the environment should first and foremost be considered before profits. We believe that, Ang tunay na tuwid na daan, ay ang malinis at ligtas na daan. It is only through this that we can save Palawan and the whole nation from the path of certain destruction. No to New Coal Plants! No to Coal Mining! Shift to Clean, Safe, Accessible Renewable Energy Now! RE-Energize All Now! May 8, 2013
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By Fr. Euly Belizar
Features
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
Post-election detox
same-sex marriage, euthanasia, abortion etc.? Fr. Jay-ar: Because politicians, by passing the RH Law without listening to the Church and by trying to pass the bills you mentioned, interfere in the responsibility of the bishops and priests as moral and spiritual guides. Cynthia: I dont understand your point, Father. Why do you say that? Fr. Jay-ar: You see, in seeing nothing wrong with the RH Law etc., politicians in effect style themselves as guides in morality as well. Now, isnt that a blatant violation of the separation of Church and state?
Jimmy : Whats in common between a politician who buys his way to office and a voter who sells his vote to the highest bidder? Fr. Jay-ar: Money politics. Jimmy: Whats the difference? Fr. Jay-ar: The difference is the same. Jimmy: Why the same? Fr. Jay-ar: Both are the scourge of Philippine democracy. *** Cris: Father, is there a Catholic vote in the Philippines? Fr. Jay-ar: It depends. If you mean Catholics who vote, yes. But if you mean Catholics who vote as Catholics, no. Cris: How do you explain that? A sense of the separation of Church and state? Fr. Jay-ar: No. Separation of faith and life. *** Cynthia: How do you explain separation of Church and state, Father? Fr. Jay-ar: When your bishop or parish priest refuses to interfere with how your Mayor, Governor, Congressman, Senator or President does his/her political responsibilities, thats separation of Church and state in action. Cynthia: But how come bishops and priests tried to interfere in the passage of the RH Law and now try to block the passage of other pending bills on divorce,
of the young. Do you agree? Fr. Jay-ar: Not really. I think that there are also an increasing number of older voters who refuse to believe they are no longer young.
*** Criselda: Father, whats your advice to politicians who constantly change their party affiliations and kowtow to people in power, in other words, to the balimbings? Fr. Jay-ar: You can run but you cant always hideyour true colors. *** Tirso: What do you say to politicians who won in the elections, Father? Fr. Jay-ar: Work hard and prove the voters right. Tirso: And your word to the politicians who lost? Fr. Jay-ar: Work even harder and prove the voters wrong. *** Minnie: Whats your take on the way politicians conducted their campaigns, Benjie? Benjie the Sacristan: They reminded me of a Shakespeares sonnet. Minnie: Which one? Benjie: All sound and fury signifying nothing. *** Cristine: Father, how come the better candidates often lose in elections? Fr. Jay-ar: Because voters dont always follow our standards (wink and smile).
*** Perry: Could you explain separation of faith and life, Father? Fr. Jay-ar: When you believe you follow Christ and live as if your fellow human beings words are more important than his, thats separation of faith and life. Perry: But can you blame me, Father? My fellow human beings words are what I deal with every day. Fr. Jay-ar: Im not blaming anybody. But every day we must also deal with Gods Word first and make our human words conform to his. *** Cesar: Father, do you believe the analysts who say that there are changing voters demographics in this country? I mean that there are more younger voters who vote for younger candidates or for candidates who sympathize with the issues and concerns
Brothers Matias
Moral Assessment
Technical Assessment
TITLE: The bride and the lover CAST: Lovi Poe, Jennilyn Mercado, Paulo Avelino Director: Joel Lamangan Genre: Sex, Drama-Comedy Location: Philippines Technical Assessment: Moral Assessment: CINEMA Rating: V18 MTRCB Rating: R-13
Umatras sa bonggang kasalan ang bride na si Vivian (Lovi Poe) kasabay ng pagbubunyag niya ng iskandalo na kinasangkutan ng groom na si Philip (Paulo Avelino) at matalik na kaibigan na si Sheila (Jennilyn). Sa gitna ng sakit at kahihiyan ay hiwahiwalay na magbabyahe ang tatlo upang pansamantalang takasan ang sitwasyon at iiwanan sa kanilang pamilya at mga kaibigan ang pagharap sa publiko. Sa kanilang pagbabalik ay sisikapin nila na magpatuloy sa kani-kaniyang buhay ang tatlo. Maantala naman ng konti ang pagpapatuloy ni Philip dahil kinailangan niyang magpagaling ng kanyang napilay na paa. Magpiprisinta si Sheila na alagaan si Philip at upang mabigyan na rin ng pagkakataon ang sarili na maipadama ng lubusan ang damdamin niya rito. Sa panahon ng pagpapagaling ni Philip sa piling ni Sheila ay tuluyan silang magsasama. Samantala nagulat ang lahat sa pagbabalik ni Vivian. Lubusang magbabago ang pagkatao nito sa pananaw at pisikal na anyo. Mula sa simple ay magiging moderno at liberal sa pananalita at kilos na malayung-malayo sa dating Vivian na tumalikod sa kasal. Buong tapang niyang pananagutan ang mataas na posisyon sa kumpanya na pagaari ng pamilya kasunod ng pagreretiro ng kanyang ama. Kasabay ng mga pangyayaring ito sa buhay ni Vivian ay kusa siyang makikipagbati kay Sheila sa pamamagitan ng pagtataguyod bilang sponsor sa magazine kung saan editor-inchief ang matalik na kaibigan. Labis itong ikakatuwa ni Sheila sa kabila ng kundisyon ni Vivian na panatilihing lihim kay Philip ang pagbabati nila. Sa parehong kundisyon na maglihim naman kay Sheila ay nakipagkasundo din si Vivian kay Philip. Sa kanilang pagbabati ay magpapahayag ng mga totoong damdamin at panghihinayang sa naputol na relasyon. Kasabay nito ay ang pagbibigay laya sa nararamdaman na pananabik sa isat isa. Hanggang saan naman kaya hahantong ang
mga plano ni Vivian at ang pakikipagsabwatan nina Sheila at Philip na maglihiman tungkol sa nagbalik na ugnayan nila kay Vivian. Gasgas na kwento ng pagaagawan sa lalaki ang pelikulang The Bride and the Lover na nilagyan ng magkahalong drama at pagpapatawa. Mahusay ang pag-arte ng mga nagsiganap lalo na si Poe at mga suportang artista. Komportable sa mga eksena ng pagtatalik sina Poe, Mercado at Avelino. Gayundin ang nakakalibang na palitan ng mga linya lalo na ang voice over nina Poe at Mercado habang nagpapambuno bago matapos ang pelikula. Mainam ang ginawang motibasyon ng director sa pagpapalabas ng emosyon na hinihingi ng eksena. Naging maingat ang kuha ng camera sa madalas na mga maseselang eksena ng pagtatalik. Subalit kapunapuna na may kahabaan ang mga eksenang sex na di naman kailangan. Maganda ang disenyo ng produksyon. Nakalilibang ang pagpapakita ng detalye ng mga okasyon tulad ng kasalan, mga tampok na parte at pagaayos ng marangyang bahay, at mga tagpo sa mundo ng korporasyon. Tama lamang ang ginamit na ilaw at paglalapat ng tunog at musika. Nakatulong ito sa mga transisyon ng seryosong drama at patawa. Sa kabuuan ay kinakitaan ng pagsisikap ang produksyon na ayusin ang ibang teknikal na aspeto ng pelikula. Nakababahala ang mga isyung moral na tinalakay sa pelikula. Ang seremonya ng kasal na sagrado at seryosong yugto sa buhay ng isang tao ay hindi iginalang. Kaydali itong talikuran, hilingin, iskandaluhin, muling talikuran na parang walang leksyon na natutunan. Pinakita sa pelikula na kung paano paglaruan ang mga damdamin. Parang mga walang isip na nakikipag-sex dahil gustong bigyang laya ang nararamdaman may pag-ibig man o wala. Kaswal lang ang paggamit ng droga o ecstasy kahit alam nila ang dulot nito sa kanila na pwede silang mawala
sa sarili. Sa kabila ng iskandalo ay parang balewala lang na magsama nang walang kasal ang mga kasangkot at di man lang kinumusta ang taong nasaktan nila. Pawang mga propesyonal ang mga tauhan sa kuwento pero di ginamit ang mga isip para maging responsable sa mga kilos nila at itaas ang dignidad. Kung yayakapin ng isang tao ang pagbabago, mainam na tungo ito sa pagtutuwid at lalong pagbibigay dignidad sa sarili, pero sa kaso ng tauhan ni Vivian sa pelikula ay naging matatag nga siya sa pagharap sa buhay pero naging mapaghiganti, mapaglaro at higit sa lahat naging parang bayarang babae na nakikipagsex sa sinumang matipuhan
niya. Naging napakahirap ang magpatawad sa mga nagkamali at halos mabalewala na ang paghingi ng tawad. Sa bandang huli ay mananaig ng tatag ng pagkakaibigan subalit saglit lamang ito at tila kailangan lang tapusin ang istorya sa ganitong tagpo. Ang mas mahabang bahagi ng pelikula ay nagpapakita ng kaswal na pakikipagtalik, droga, paglalaro ng damdamin, paglilihim, paghihiganti gamit ang negosyo, at may agaweksena pang pagnanasa ng bakla sa kapwa lalaki. May maliit na eksena ng pagbibigay payo ng magulang pero di naman sinusunod ng mga anak. Kung may aral man na inihahain ang pelikula ito ay hinog na isipan lamang ang makakakita.
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CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
The Cross
KCFAPI Chairman, Hon. Hilario G. Davide, Jr. (seated, center) flanked by Executive Vice President, Ma. Theresa G. Curia and President, Guillermo N. Hernandez during the conduct of the Fraternal Benefits Day in Cebu. Also in photo are other KCFAPI Officers and participants.
THE Fraternal Benefits Group of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) held a Fraternal Benefits Day in Visayas last April 20 at the Baseline Restaurant, Juana, Osmea St., Cebu City. KCFAPI Chairman Hilario G. Davide, Jr. gave an inspirational message. Also in at-
tendance were other KCFAPI Officials Guillermo N. Hernandez, President; Ma. Theresa G. Curia, Executive Vice President; Gari M. San Sebastian, Vice President - FBG; Ronulfo Antero G. Infante, Vice President for Information and BC Holders Services; and Michael P. Cabra, FBS Manager. Meanwhile,
part of the two-day visit of the KCFAPI officials in Cebu was the Visayas Managers 2013 First Quarter Meeting, which was held last April 19 at the KC Visayas Foundation Bldg., Cebu City. The activities were coordinated with the Visayas Fraternal Benefits Manager Rudolph Gerard M. Elizaga.
KC Manila Council 1000 STRONGER @ 108 with Cardinal Tagle as Guest of Honor
cils Guest of Honor - His Eminence Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle, DD, Archbishop of Manila by Supreme Director SK Alonso L. Tan, Past State Deputy Arsenio Lopez, District Deputy M-47 SK Noel S. Lacanilao and Grand Knight Antonio T. Hernandez. Your anniversary theme Be a Light to Others is especially relevant to this years theme the Year of Faith declared by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. In search of the light, we go through constant renewal. While the world changes, our faith remains the same, solid and unwavering. It is with the light of Christ, the light of our faith, that we find our way, that we light each others ways. said H.E. Cardinal Tagle. Part of the program was the pre sentation of the two distinguished awards for the Columbian Year 2012 to 2013 namely (1) Family of the Year and (2) Knight of the Year which was awarded to Bro. Manuel A. Delfin and Bro. Jun S. Florendo, respectively. Padre Burgos Assembly Honor Guards rendered their voluntary service during the said event. (Jun Florendo)
the Founder of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines, Dawal added. The membership card is a unique insignia that instantly identifies the insured members of the Order and their family members. This was launched last September 2011 with four different types such as classic, gold, bronze, and titanium. For inquiries, please call the KCFAPI Main Office at telephone number (02) 527-2223.
A total of 150 Knights, Colum bian Squires, relatives and friends witnessed the 108th grand celebration of the Knights of Columbus Manila Council 1000 held last April 19, 2013 at KCMC 1000 Gymnasium, Beaterio Street, Intramuros, Manila. The festivity started with a morning parade around the vicinity of Intramuros, Manila headed by Co -
lumbian Squires from Circle 1000 and 4488, followed by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrated by Council Chaplain Rev. Fr. Peter A. Casio, OSA and the opening of the mini-exhibit showcasing the accomplishments of the Service Directors Program and Activities. Highlighting the event was the arrival and warm welcome to the Coun-
The opening of the 2013 bowling tournament of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) was held last May 7 at the Paengs Midtown Bowl Robinsons Place in Ermita, Manila. The next schedule will be on May 15, 23, 28, June 4 and 11.
Local Incentive
There is life in their womb: Knights of Columbus Initiative for Poor Mothers Launched
TO serve the needs of poor mothers and to create greater awareness of the humanity of the unborn, the Luzon Jurisdiction of the Knights of Columbus launched an Ultrasound Initiative that will bring the unit to different parishes in Luzon. The project first took place last May 5, 2013 (Sunday), at the San Lorenzo Ruiz Academy in Binondo with the support of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chinese Personal Parish. Ten pregnant women from depressed areas near Binondo were given basic catechesis on the value and holiness of human life before being given ultrasound tests to generate images of their unborn babies. According to Arsenio Yap, Luzon Deputy of the Knights of Columbus Luzon, the initiative aims to help more pregnant women, especially those who are less fortunate, the chance to experience ultrasound test so that they will know that there is life in their womb, saving them from the temptation of aborting their babies. The initiative took place alongside the parishs regular First Sunday medicaldental mission in the same academy. According to Bro. Boni Martinez of the Knights of Columbus, this medicaldental mission regularly serves 150 to 200 indigent patients, who also get to receive warm food. According to Yap, the ultrasound initiative of the Luzon Knights of Columbus is part of the worldwide Ultrasound Program of the K of C worldwide. Citing examples of mothers from the United States who were determined to undergo abortion but changed their minds after seeing ultrasound images of their babies, Yap expressed the hope that this initiative will help more pregnant women in the Philippines to love their unborn babies. Ac cording to him, the Luzon Jurisdiction of the Knights of Columbus even bought their own ultrasound machine for this initiative. Through the ultrasound tests, Yap said, one can see that the unborn truly has life. They have their own heart beat they have iden-
Three lucky winners from the Central Luzon Believers headed by their Area Manager, Efren Casupanan received their tablets as a local incentive for the month of April. Photo includes the KCFAPI Vice President for Fraternal Benefits Group, Gari San Sebastian (in striped shirt) handing the gadget to one of the winners, Lauro Evangelista. Other tablet winners were Ronando Rodriguez and Ariston Francisco.
tifiable sexual organs they have movements that are not synchronized with those of the mother, so you cannot say that they are just part of the mother. They are unique beings, distinct from their mothers. Yap noted that they intend to bring the ongoing initiative to different parishes and hope to eventually bring it to the diocesan level. He also expressed willingness to
work with church-based organizations that want to have joint ultrasound projects with the Luzon K of C. Eventually, he said, maybe in the future the next project we would like to undertake would be a home for unwed mothers, or a home for mothers with unwanted pregnancies to help them get foster parents for their babies so they will not consider abortion. (CBCP for Life)
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Chairmans Message
PRESUMABLY the teachings of the Second Vatican Council that marked its 50th anniversary last year have not trickled yet to a majority of Catholics in this country. The same maybe said of the Decrees of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines or PCP-II that was issued in 1991. Until today, there are not a few people, even among those close to the Church, who do not believe that to renew politics is part of the mission of the Church. Many will cite, for instance, the following biblical quotations: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods (Matthew 22:21) or My kingdom is not of this earth! (John 18:36). Exegetes will tell us that such application of these quotations comes from a wrong interpretation of the Scriptures. The Catholic Church teaches that politics has a religious and moral dimension since it is a human activity that flows from the normal processes of intellect and will and, therefore, it may either lead to grace or to sin, it may hurt or benefit, may build or destroy people. Besides, the Church has the duty to proclaim the Gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15) and to restore all things under Christ (Ephesians 1:10)which means that the Gospel must influence every phase of life, every stratum of society, including the political sphere. Hence, the mandate to evangelize or Christianize the political order. It is in this sense that our bishops in their Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics, enjoins us to be actively involved in politics since Philippine politics, the way it is practiced, has been most hurtful of us as a people. It is possibly the biggest bane in our life as a nation and the most pernicious obstacle to our achieving full development. Moreover, the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines states: In the Philippines today, given the general perception that politics has become an obstacle to integral development, the urgent necessity is for the lay faithful to participate more actively, with singular competence and integrity, in political affairs.help for the civic conscience of the voting population and work to explicitly promote the election of leaders of true integrity to public office. (PCP-II, 348; Art 8, #1) This is not too foreign to the Knights of Columbus because even Fr. Michael McGivney exhorted the incipient members of the Order to get involved in the electoral exercise during his timesnot to mention the fact that one of the cardinal principles of the Order is patriotism. What maybe wanting is a more conscientious work to help transform the political order in this country according to the values of the Gospel. Vivat Iesus!
The Cross
Michael Cabra
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
My Brother's Keeper
May 2013 is the Philippine National Election month. For us brother knights, this is one opportunity where we can practice the fourth pillar of our brotherhood, Patriotism or love for our motherland. We elect politicians with integrity and put them in power because we believe they can help the government build a better future for us and our children. Similarly, as parents, we also find solutions on how to nurture our offspring and map ways that will guarantee their college education. Like a tried and tested public servant, KCFAPI offers a definite way to a college diploma. KC Enhanced College Savings Plan is the surest answer to a Brother Knights need for his childrens college education. It is the best candidate to elect because we believe it will ensure our kids college education. KC Enhanced College Savings Plan is a 6 years to pay college savings plan. It is guaranteed to give semestral benefit to the insured scholar for five years starting at age 16. It offers a yearly increment on benefit which covers more than the effects of inflation. Once the insured scholar finishes his/her studies, a graduation gift will be given as a bonus to serve as allowance for the scholar while he/she is looking for a job or as a starting capital for a small enterprise.
Knights of Columbus Mindanao Deputy, Balbino Fauni (center) together with the Brother Knights during their 15th State Convention.
Guillermo N. Hernandez
Presidents Message
2013 Election along with the intense and frenzied campaign activities have just ended. Nothing much has changed from what has transpired in the past to the point that Comelec regulations were largely disregarded, there were oversized posters indiscriminately placed, repetitive ads and jingles in tri-media, surveys to support winnability, the use of celebrities as endorsers, among others. Clearly, all of these were intended to condition the minds of the electorate to vote for those who are more visible as winnable, given the funds and political machinery at their disposal. This lends basis to the fact that political patronage is still very much around in our electoral system where unfortunately vital considerations like character and qualification, political platform as well as stand on major issues confronting our country and our Faith, are to a great extent obviated. Candidates who ran as independents in spite of being just as qualified if not better than those from major parties, are largely marginalized. In this material world of ours where secularism and utilitarianism have adversely affected the Catholic Faith, we Brother Knights and our respective families should have more than ever remained steadfast in the exercise of our rights in the recently concluded 2013 Election not only as Filipino citizens but more so as CATHOLIC CITIZENS to ensure that the 'CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE VOTE' was counted. As circularized by the CBCP, Catholics do not vote blindly based on a list provided by the Church like other religious sects but based on our conscience, as guided by the Holy Spirit. Realistically, a very objective reflection on each and every candidate vis-a-vis our parameters in the choice of the right person for the office, as guided by issues that are very critical to our Church and to us as Catholic Citizens and as widely discussed by the Church hierarchy down to the parish levels, is a 'must'. This should be done by all of us Brother Knights at the family level, the council level, the district level up to the highest echelon of our Order. The whole process of course must at all times be accompanied by our most solemn prayer to the Lord Almighty for His Grace and that the Holy Spirit be always with us and guide us. I trust that as a KC, as a Filipino Citizen and most importantly as a Catholic Citizen, we will be able to bring with us the learning we gained from the recently concluded elections and with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, may we grow to become more responsible citizens of our nation. Vivat Jesus!
MORE than 650 Brother Knights together with their ladies at tended the 15th Mindanao State Convention held from April 2628 in Dipolog City, known as the "Bottled Sardines" Capital of the Philippines. Mindanao Deputy, Balbino Fauni presented his 2011-2012 Mindanao performance such as membership growth, new councils development, reactivation of suspended councils, and program activities of the differ-
ent councils in Mindanao during the convention. Mindanao Jurisdiction bested all State Deputies throughout the world with a 160% performance greater than the expected target. The performance by region was shown and KIDMACO tops the list followed by CAMAL region. We are optimistic that the six regions will finally contribute their fair share before the Columbian year ends on June 30 Fauni said. The video clips message of Su-
preme Knight Carl A. Anderson was played during the gathering, appealing to all Knights to support Pope Francis, the first Pope from South America. On the other hand, KCFAPI Vice President for Fraternal Benefits Group Gari San Sebastian was very impressive and knowledgeable on his piece. A State Dinner was held on the first day at Barrio Fiesta. All sessions were preceded by a mass and presided by Bishops and Priests, Fauni
stated. A raffle was drawn with a major prize of P100,000.00 for the lucky winner. It was also announced that the 16th Mindanao State Convention will be held in Tandag City. The event themed "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land, was held in coordination with Regional Deputy Mans Onga, Convention Chairperson and his Vice Chairperson Brother Cesar Bala. (MindaNews)
expense paid trip to Italy with their spouses. On the other hand, State Program Director Noeni Nepomuceno discussed the incentive program for the councils activities that will directly benefit the needy.
Priest, Rev. Fr. Cristino Junjun Lobitaa III has been appointed as the Parochial Vicar at the St. Nicholas de Tolentino Parish in Mobo, Masbate, while Rev. Fr. Michael Lobitaa was assigned as Parochial Vicar at the Holy Cross Parish in San Jacinto, Masbate. Among the various family members, benefactors, friends, fellow religious and priests he acknowledged during his appreciation speech, Fr. Junjun expressly thanked the Knights of Columbus Fr. George J.
Willmann Charities, Inc. for enabling him to complete his Theology studies and realizing his religious vocation. Shown in the picture are Rev. Fr. Junjun Lobitaa (2nd from left) and KCFGJWCI Executive Director Roberto T. Cruz (2nd from right) together with Fr. Junjuns colleague priests and seminarians from the Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol. At extreme right is Sem. Richard F. Bis nar, also a former KCFGJWCI scholar. (Roberto T. Cruz)
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 17 No. 10
May 13 - 26, 2013
The Cross
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In solidarity with Pope Francis and those in need, Knights are called to practice faith-inspired charity
By Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson
THREE days after the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis, my wife, Dorian, and I made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi to pray for our new Holy Father. In the Basilica of St. Francis, surrounded by the beautiful 700-year-old frescoes of Giotto depicting the life of the great saint, we meditated on St. Francis commitment to a life of poverty and solidarity with the poor. Those of us who live in the United States sometimes fail to realize that most Catholics throughout the world are actually very poor. We need to be ever mindful of the words of Pope Benedict XVI in his great encyclical on charity, Deus Caritas Est: The Church is Gods family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life (25). As Dorian and I walked in Assisi, it occurred to me that the cardinals of the conclave must have been reading this encyclical when they elected Pope Francis. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Bergoglio pro vided an extraordinary witness of solidarity with the poor. And soon after his election, Pope Francis told media representatives, I would like a Church that is poor and for the poor! But building a Church for the poor can only happen if we strive for a deeper communion and solidarity among all Catholicsespecially those on the American continent. For the first time in history, we have a pope from the Western Hemisphere. Nearly 500 million Catholics live in Latin America and approximately 50 million Hispanicsmost of whom are Catholiclive in the United States. Pope Francis can open up the possibility of a great renewal among Catholics in our hemisphere in a way similar to the experience of Catholics living behind the Iron Curtain when Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978. Last December, the Knights of Columbus joined with the Pontifical Commission for Latin America in sponsoring a historic meeting at the Vatican to observe the 25th anniversary of Ecclesia in America, John Paul IIs watershed document following the Synod for America. That document, like the synod itself, called Catholics in our hemisphere to a greater encounter with the living Jesus Christ as the way to conversion, communion and solidarity in America. While much has been accomplished in this regard, much more still needs to be done. The Knights of Columbus has been promoting greater solidarity throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines for more than a century, and we can be authentically proud of the tremendous charitable work that is accomplished every day by our Order. Last year alone, we provided 70 million hours of personal service and $168 million to charity. But there is much more to be done and all of us can do more. As I stated during last years Supreme Convention in Anaheim, Calif., if 30 million Catholics in the United States and Canada would join us in providing one hour of charitable service each monthjust two minutes every daythe value of that commitment would be worth nearly $8 billion. As Catholics, though, we are called not just to volunteer service. In the words of Pope John Paul II, we are also called to practice a charity that evangelizes by revealing to others in our concern for them the love of Christ. This, too, is the deeper meaning of our Orders founding principles of charity, unity and fraternity.
During his inaugural Mass homily, Pope Francis spoke of the example of St. Joseph and challenged all of us to be protectors of Gods gifts! How are we to do this as Catholics and as Knights of Columbus? The popes answer was clear: Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others. From the balcony of St. Pe-
ters Basilica the night he was elected, Pope Francis told us that as Catholics we are all on a journey together. As Knights of Columbus, the signposts for our journey have always been clear: charity, unity and fraternity. Let us continue on our path now under the inspiration of our new guide and pope. Vivat Jesus!
Luzon State Chaplain Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco blesses one of the beneficiaries of American Wheelchair Mission.
Also present during the convention were KCFAPI President Guillermo N. Hernandez, Supreme Director Alonso L. Tan, Luzon State Chaplain Bishop
Honesto F. Ongtioco, DD, Assistant State Chaplain Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III, and State Officers, among others. (LuzonNews)
KC News Briefs
The artificial fish sanctuary or Payaw initiated by the K of C Council 14302 of the Saint Francis of Assisi Davila, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte was already deployed last April as a livelihood project of the local community. The said council has sent a letter to the Luzon Jurisdiction requesting for an installation of payaw in order for them to meet its financial needs since most of the members are fishermen. *** K of C St. Joseph the Worker Council 14379 in Bangad, Cabanatuan City established their council hall within the vicinity of St. Joseph the husband of Mary Parish. The said council is headed by Grand Knight Dong Javier Sarmiento and Chaplain Fr. Jose Salvador Mallari. It is one of the councils of District C01 led by District Deputy and Chairman of RTDD of Nueva Ecija and Aurora, Gil Dindo Berino. *** The Mary Mother of Good Counsel Parish in cooperation with the K of C Council 11847 District P-24 held a Renewal of Marriage Vows, presided by Bishop Jesse E. Mercado, DD. on the feast of Mary Mother of Good Counsel last April 28. A marriage enrichment seminar was held prior to the Renewal of Marriage Vows last April 21, which was presided by Msgr. Chito Bernardo. *** The Knights of Columbus Diocesan Council of District Deputies held their Annual Inter District Sports Fest last April 20 at the DJ Paradise and Resort, Malolos, Bulacan. The inter-district competition featured a free throw competition and bowling tournament participated in by the Squires and KC members of the Diocese of Malolos *** Recipients of wheelchairs in Mindanao donated by the American Wheelchair Mission headed by their President Christopher J. Lewis and California State Deputy Brother Raymond Warner (together with his wife Purita) were very thankful for the generosity of the said foundation. Veronica Ana Pili, mother of one of the beneficiaries, Jay Nicus Pili of Matina, Davao City said they were very blessed to be part of the distribution in Mindanao initiated by Mindanao Deputy Balbino Fauni. *** The Luzon Jurisdiction, on behalf of the Luzon Deputy Arsenio Isidro Yap would like to thank Rev. Fr. Orlando Jimenez for allowing them to organize a K of C Council in his parish San Isidro Labrador-Naic Council # 15670. The establishment of the new council is in coordination with District Deputy Milor Bernal and Worthy Charter Grand Knight Francisco Panganiban. *** The Luzon Deputy congratulates the San Lorenzo Ruiz Council 15508 as they celebrate their first anniversary.
MAY 11, 2013 marked the reunion of the Knights of Columbus ( K of C), the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI), and the Daughters of Mary Immaculate International (DMII) when the National Officers Meeting of the latter took place at the KC F R . G E O R G E J . W I LL MANN CENTER BLDG., also known as the KCFAPI BLDG. Two hundred ten (210) delegates from the different Regions of the Country attended the meeting. Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III gave a talk on Responsible Vot ing and Fr. Jerome Cruz talked about Fr. George J. Willmann. Both priests are very much associated with Fr. Willmann: Msgr. Quitorio being the first scholar of Fr. Willmann and Fr. Jerome Cruz whose childhood life has much spent with Fr. Willmann himself, akin to familial ties. Delegates were led to recite the Prayer for Beatification
of Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ. They were also invited to testify to any miracle resulting from prayers made thru the intercession of Fr. Willmann. The K of C is very much associated with the DMII. A council would normally have programs and proj ects with the circle around.
While the DMII is an independent entity, members are normally wives of the K of C. The KNIGHTS OF CO LUMBUS FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILS., INC. (KCFAPI), through its Executive Vice President, Sis. Ma. Theresa G. Curia would like to thank
Sis. Mila Villanueva, the International Regent and Sis. Cora Afuang, the International Secretary for holding the National Officers meeting in the ancestral home of the DAUGHTERS OF MARY IMMACULATE INTERNATIONAL - the KCFAPI Building, in Intramuros, Manila.
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Last May 4, the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines welcomed their new member, Rev. Fr. Major Leo Balanlay (center), Council Chaplain of KC Ft. Magsaysay Co. 10638 and Chaplain of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. Photo shows the Chairman of the Round Table of District Deputies in Nueva Ecija and Aurora, Bro. Gil Dindo Berino (right) and the Central Luzon Conquerors Area Manager, Bro. Manuel Naldoza (left).
THE Knights of Columbus Fr. Alfredo Paguia SJ Council 3362 of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Immaculate Conception (MCIC), celebrated its 62nd Anniversary last April 6 at the Grand Astoria Hotel in Zamboanga City. The said council is said to be the Mother Council in Zambonga City.
One of the highlights during the event was honoring Past Grand Knights who are still active members of the council. Invited as Guest of Honor was Congressman, Erico B. Fabian, a Third Degree Member of the Order. Venerable Fr. Michael J. McGivney souvenirs were distributed to
no less than 150 Knights and Ladies who graced the affair. Fr. Alfredo Paguia Council 3362 is under District Z-01 of Mindanao State with Brother Victor A. Liozo Jr. as District Deputy and Brother Alvin Tan Tahir as Grand Knight. (MindaNews)
Luzon Jurisdiction Holds 9th Annual Family Day and Mini Olympics
Mrs. Dolores Belamide receives fraternal benefits check from Southwestern Luzon Stars Area Manager, Nonilon D. Ayon and Grand Knight Francisco Humarang.
Folks win over the youngsters in this photo taken during the 9th Annual Family Day and Mini Olympics of the Luzon Jurisdiction.
THE Luzon Jurisdiction of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines held their 9th Annual Family Day and Mini Olympics in honor of the K of C local founder, Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ last May 4 at the Amoranto Sports Complex, Roces Avenue, Quezon City. More than 800 Brother Knights and Squires from different councils participated together with their families.
The insurance arm of the Order, Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) also took part in the said event. Some of the sports prepared by the Jurisdiction were 100400 Meter Dash/Relay, Egg Throwing-Catching, Obstacle Course, Patintero, Volleyball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Tugof-War, Free Throw, among others. (LuzonNews)
To be offered a guaranteed plan under the Special Plan for Elderly Knights, an ap plicant must be aged 50-85 yrs old.
SWL Area Manager, No nilon Ayon urges other Brother Knights to take advantage of the various insurance products being offered by the Knights of
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The activity also aims to build a camaraderie towards active youth participation and uniting one another that will lead them in one path, that is serving one God, Cuaresma furthered. The event was themed Deepening our Faith, the Squires Way, a Fertile Ground for New Evangelization. (SquiresNews)
The Spiritual Journey continues: KCFAPIs catechism for the month of May
The Fr. Valerio Malabanan Assembly ACN 2924 headed by Faithful Navigator Manuelito Magsino was invited by the Confraternity of Mary Mediatrix of All Graces to be part of the Total Consecration Pilgrimage and Conference held at the Mt. Carmel in Lipa, Batangas last May 1. The Assembly assisted the relic (veil) of Mama Mary in line with the collegial decision of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines for the simultaneous Marian Consecration. KCFAPIs previous spiritual director Fr. Jeronimo Ma. J. Cruz. Fr. Jerome was a former KC Priest-Scholar and is currently the Parish Priest of San Ildefonso Parish in Navotas. He is likewise the Superintendent of the Kalookan Diocese Schools Association and the Minister of the Ministry on Youth Affairs of the Diocese. He is also the National Chaplain of the Catholic Youth Organization. Fr. Jerome began with the Porta Fidei (door of faith) to overcome the crisis of faith. He immediately followed this up with reflections on the characteristics of faith. He mentioned the three dimensions of faith: doctrine, worship and action. Many consider themselves faithful though they forget the last dimension of faith which is translating faith into action. Consistent with the catechism teachings last month, faith without action is useless. Charity, one of the four cardinal principles of the Knights of Columbus, is a classic example of converting faith into action. He then discussed some ways on how Catholics can grow their faith in the Lord - make frequent acts of faith, pray for an increase in faith, study the truths of faith, live according to Gods will, choose friends and associates wisely, read and view
Typhoon Pablo
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Participants of the 2nd monthly Catechesis held last April 30, 2013 with main speaker, Fr. Jerome Cruz and KCFAPI Spiritual Director, Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, III
Mindanao Deputy Balbino Fauni (4th from left) hands a bag of grocery items to DD Francisco Fernandez during the ceremonial turn-over of goods last April 14, 2013 for the benefit of brother knights who were affected by typhoon Pablo in Surigao del Sur. In photo are (L R) Surigao del Sur Provincial Deputy - SK Eleunisto Dumagan, SK Alexander Cordova - Grand Knight of Council 7391, Mindanao State Membership Director and Southern Mindanao Unit Manager - SK Volmar Clavano, SK Adrian Boston - Fraternal Benefits Manager for Mindanao, SK Damaso Handugan - Unit Manager of East Central Mindanao 1 together with the Fraternal Counselors, District Deputies and Grand Knights of Surigao del Sur.
Am I an instrument of faith? Life is a journey but why are we so focused on the now and not into our destiny? In times of differences, problems in relationships, why is God so far away, sino ba ang lumalayo? We all know the many requirements to get a US citizenship, but do we all know the requirements for heaven citizenship? These and more philosophical questions were the nagging issues discussed during the second session of a series of catechism teachings conducted at the third floor of the Fr. George J. Willmann SJ Memorial Building last April 30, 2013. Invited to provoke a deeper understanding of our faith was
only good things, and avoid anything against the teachings of the Church. He proposed to practice these acts of faith and go beyond respective comfort zones even when the road seems uncertain. But then again, one cannot be successful if one is not wearing the best weapon of all, prayers. Fr. Jerome said that most people tend to forget to pray for an increase in faith. He also spread awareness on the real meaning of freedom which is not just being able to choose what you want but rather, being able to choose and do what is good. In conclusion, he reiterated the steps to gain eternal blessedness, the importance of the beatitudes and invited
everyone to incorporate them in their daily lives. Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III, current KCFAPI Spiritual Director, discussed that life is a pilgrimage, there will be sufferings along the way but the final destination is Easter. If there is suffering or passion of Christ, there is Easter Sunday. Christian life is based on Easter, the triumph of life over sins and death, from the cross to resurrection. He encouraged everyone not to be scared of all the pains and hopelessness everyone is experiencing but to overlook these temporary struggles in life and look forward to Easter, where God will turn all sufferings into rejoicing. (Lei Ann B. Palacay)