Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Filipinos
Eucharistic
joy converts
Belgian
Protestant
IN THIS ISSUE:
Be Marys face,
faithful told, A3
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon in Myanmar and Papal Legate to the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, visits Cebus
renowned historical landmark, the Magellans Cross, Jan. 27, 2016. The cross, the pilgrim symbol of the IEC, recalled the birth of the Christian
faith in the archipelago and in Asia. ROY LAGARDE
Eucharistic action. We
cannot be indifferent
to them.
Where are the men?
In the Philippines,
noted the prelate, the
men seem to be missing
in Sunday Masses. And
even if the churches are
full every week, only
a fifth of parishioners
are able to attend.
Thousands receive Holy
Communion, even if
only a handful go to
confession.
So, even if on Sundays
we seem to be a nation
of Saints, social ills
remain. There is
massive poverty,
homelessness, street
children, human
trafficking, the drug
problem, and other
forms of criminality.
And media reports
speak of horrendous
corruption from top
to bottom, Quevedo
told 51st International
Eucharistic Congress
delegates at the
Waterfront Hotel.
Our faith is focused
on externals and
rituals, processions
and private devotions.
Young Cebuanos greet papal legate Myanmar Archbishop Charles Maung Cardinal Bo upon his arrival in Cebu,
Jan. 24, 2016. ROY LAGARDE
Two gifts
She explained that joy, freedom, and
hunger made the question Where do
I belong as a Christian? burn more in
her heart.
Servaas shared two events that she
calls gifts changed her life.
First, when she witnessed the Litany
of Saints. Second, the lifting of the Host
at consecration.
Servaas describes that upon her
conversion, I was freed from the
western thought that faith begins with
a concept or idea. It does not.
She also expressed that the joy of
Eucharistic life is in the paradoxes of
mans deepest source of happiness:
lose to find, receive by giving, and live
by dying.
She urged Filipinos never to result to
quick fix solutions in order to pursue
ones personal happiness, calling it
artificial happiness. In your joy, you
Scarcity / A2
Converts / A2
Eucharist / A2
A2 NEWS
CBCP Monitor
According to 51st IEC organizers, more than 15,000 people are at the event in Cebu City, Jan. 25,
2016. DOMINIC BARRIOS
Scarcity / A1
indescribably beautiful
his desire is for us to
receive hope and grow in
His glory.
She admitted however,
that being a Catholic is
weird especially whenever
she was asked about her
conversion. She simply
says, I became a Catholic,
as an adult by choice.
In a separate interview
with Eternal Word
Television Network- Asia
Pacific, Servaas further
admitted her admiration
of Filipinos, adding
despite the dilemma of
poverty and corruption,
Filipinos remain positive
and happy.
Youre dealing with
poverty. Youre dealing
Eucharist/ A1
CBCP Monitor
NEWS A3
Vibrant church
Like many other foreign
speakers at the 51st IEC,
Barron paid tribute to the
growing influence of Filipino
Catholicism, which has kept
the faith alive in the postChristian West.
I dont know of any
church right now in the
world thats more vibrant
than the Filipino Church,
he said. [In Chicago and
Los Angeles], its the Filipino
community which is keeping
the Church alive so to come
here and be with you is a
great thrill for me.
I do think, in Gods often
strange providence, Hell
take a particular church, a
particular people, and use
them as a means to invigorate
and to evangelize the rest
of the Catholic world. I do
believe, in Gods always
beguiling providence,
you are playing that role
now, Barron said. (Felipe
Francisco / CBCP News)
An image of the Blessed Virgin holding the Child Jesus, at the IEC Pavilion, Jan. 27, 2016.DOMINIC BARRIOS
Right attitude
He said to stretch out like
someone dying of hunger is
the right attitude toward the
Eucharist.
Barron recalled the
first time he gave Holy
Communion at St. Peters
Square about 10 years ago, on
Easter Sunday. He thought it
would be an orderly affair. But
the people surged, begging
for the Body of Christ.
Its the Bread of Life,
its what keeps us alive
spiritually, he pointed out.
We should all stretch out
our hands as though we were
starving for the Bread of
Life.
Barron reminded IEC
delegates of the three
aspects of the Eucharist:
the Eucharist as a meal; the
Eucharist as a sacrifice; and
Christs Real Presence in the
Eucharist.
Too often the sacrificial
nature of the Eucharist is
ignored. Sacrifice straightens
out man from his sinfulness,
he said.
The logic of sacrifice is
pretty straightforward, we
take some aspect of creation
and we return it to God If
we are off-kilter, which we
A4 OPINION
CBCP Monitor
EDITORIAL
Monitor
CBCP
Pedro Quitorio
Ronalyn Regino
Editor-in-Chief
Design Artist
Nirvaana E. Delacruz
Gloria Fernando
Associate Editor
Marketing Supervisor
Roy Lagarde
Mercedita Juanite
Kris Bayos
Marcelita Dominguez
News Editor
Features Editor
Circulation Manager
Comptroller
Living Mission
Eucharistic Faith:
Christs True Presence
Candidly Speaking
WE have to learn how to live with
mysteries in life. They are unavoidable.
Even in the natural sphere, there are
things that we can already regard as
mysteries. Much more so when we
consider the spiritual and supernatural
spheres of our life.
A mystery is, first of all, a truth, a real
thing, and not a fiction, a figment of our
imagination. But its a truth that is so rich
that the human mind finds it hard if not
impossible to fully understand. Just the
same, it has elements that would make it
recognizable and believable by us.
Its like the sun whose light is so bright
that we cannot look directly at it without
destroying our eyes. But we never doubt
about its existence. In fact, we are most
thankful for the many benefits it gives us.
The Eucharist is one such mystery.
Living Mission / A6
The mystery of
the Eucharist
CBCP Monitor
By the Roadside
Fr. Eutiquio Euly Belizar, Jr. SThD
must take.
What comes to mind is the Gospel of
Luke 15:20 telling us how the wayward
son finally coming to his senses and
returning to his father. Instead of
meeting offense with a just chastisement
of sorts (maybe a harsh word or two, a
slap in the face or a closed door), the
father runs to the wayward son, ignores
the sons prepared Im sorry speech,
falls on his neck in a fatherly embrace
and even kisses him. Would a Filipino
father or any father do the same or
generally the opposite? Thank God, God
is God and not man. For that is how I
see the great embrace of Gods love for
the Filipino at the IEC despite the many
ways we have stormed our way out of the
Fathers house. God still embraces us
through the Catholic world coming into
our shores and expressing how we are
still looked up to for our vibrant faith,
for our resilience during calamities, for
bringing the Catholic presence wherever
we go in the world, no matter how strong
or feeble, pure or stained.
For the Eucharist is the embrace
of Gods love for us. It is the Fathers
love that is revealed in the Son. This
revelation is behind the love of the
Sons self-gift. As the Father has loved
me, so I have loved you (John 15:9).
In the Eucharist the Father embraces
us, our sinfulness notwithstanding,
but he embraces us in and through the
Son. In the most profound insight of St.
A Transforming
Eucharist
ON the second day of the
IEC, the persona of St. Paul
looms large. His conversion
is commemorated and
celebrated and how the saint
preserved and promoted
the memory of Christs love
from possible demise is
highlighted.
Pauls devotion to the
Eucharist began with his
meeting with the Resurrected
Christ (cf. 1Cor 15:8). Christ
transformed him from
within and he, recognizing
the surpassing value of
knowing Christ (Phil 3:8),
considered everything that he
once boasted of--his sense of
ethnic supremacy, his hardearned zeal for the faith of
his forebears, his fanaticism
to defend the same even to
deathas rubbish. Everything
he earned through diligence,
hard-work, and industry
cannot compare to the splendor
OPINION A5
Biblically Speaking
Leander V. Barrot, OAR
spurs us on to be passionate
to care for the poor, to value
every person, to respect the
dignity of others name and
honor, to promote equality
irrespective of color, religion
or nationality, to breakdown
walls of defiance, and to
promote the dignity of
children and elderly. The
same Eucharist sustains us
in our quest for humaneness.
Perhaps the moral question
one can ask is how has our
reception of the Eucharist
transformed us from within.
St. Paul has identified the
beginning and summit of his
conversion as the surpassing
value of knowing Christ.
This has transformed him
from being a persecutor
of believers to become a
defender of the faith and a
missionary of Jesus Christ
to the gentiles. The value of
Christ for Paul is everything.
Miracle of the
Holy Eucharist
Candidly Speaking / A4
A6 FEATURES
CBCP Monitor
Rome-based seminarians
volunteer to translate for IEC
Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig, chairman of the Department of Communications of the International Eucharistic Congress, leads the press conference
at the IEC Pavilion. SKY ORTIGAS
including politicians, we
want to make sure that we
will not change the IEC
to become some kind of
a political event for one
party or the other, or one
candidate or the other,
the priest said in a press
briefing this morning at
the IEC Pavilion.
Of course we expect
some of the people running
for office to be present, but
they will be treated like any
other person, as pilgrims,
explained Tan.
We are open to their
The Teen Saint Pedro Musical is just one of several cultural and religious festivals being offered during
the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC). DOMINIC BARRIOS
Free admission
All interested IEC delegates
should always wear their IEC IDs
to avail of the free admission to all
the cultural events.
Many cultural events like concerts,
theater plays and religious-cultural
presentation have also been held as
pre-congress activities. Other cultural
events have been also announced by
the IEC Central Committee through
their website www.iec2016.ph
Papal Legate, Cardinal Charles Maung
Cardinal Bo of Myanmar presided over
the Opening Mass of the IEC at the
Plaza Independencia in the afternoon of
Jan. 24. Later in the evening, delegates
enjoyed cultural events. (Chrixy
Paguirigan / CBCPNews)
Living Mission / A4
CBCP Monitor
FEATURES A7
More than 300 inmates perform in honor of Myanmar Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, papal legate to the IEC, during his visit to the Cebu Provincial
Jail on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. ROY LAGARDE
Philippines, he added.
That day, inmates
presented a Michael
Jackson dance routine,
which had previously gone
viral after it was uploaded
to YouTube. After which,
they danced the IEC official
hymn Christ in us, our
hope of glory.
The cardinal, visibly
touched by the prisoners
Closer to God
One of the inmates who
danced, Lito Granada from
Camotes island, said he was
touched by the visit of the
papal legate, impressed by
how a busy VIP like him could
consider visiting them.
We thank him for visiting
us. We hope he always prays
for us, he said.
Granada, who has been
incarcerated for 14 years
serving a life sentence, said
prison life changed him by
making him closer to the
Lord, describing himself as
not believing in the Lord
before [he] was jailed.
He said life in prison
changed him and made him
realize that there is a Lord
who loves everyone.
I know that problems
are big and heavy, but
recognizing that the Lord
is with us, the load becomes
lighter, he said.
The 44-year old family man
said he first of all offered
his dance to the Lord and
secondly to our visitors,
especially the cardinal.
We are part of the
Eucharistic Congress. And
for that we are happy, he
said. (Rommel Lopez
with reports from Roy
Lagarde / CBCP News)
Prelates prepare for procession before Mass at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), Jan. 26, 2016. MARIA TAN
World-changing
It could change the world.
Sinfulness, however, should
not hinder the faithful from
approaching the Eucharist. It
is our sinfulness that brought us
the Jesus that we know today. It
is because we are sinful that we
came to know Jesus, Rosales
said.
Above all the passion and
the death of Jesus redeemed
humankind from sin. If the
triumph of Jesus over death, the
harshest face of evil, were not
true, then all our confidence, all
our faith in Christ is completely
empty, he added. (Felipe
Francisco / CBCP News)
Irelands future
Unfortunately, when they
come to teenage years or the early
twenties they are inclined to fall
away. We hope and we pray that
they will come back, he said.
Burns stressed, however,
that although they are not as
passionate and involved in the life
of the Church as their ancestors
had been, this new generation of
Irish Catholics still believe in God.
They do have faith. They do
believe in God. They pray in
times of trouble. But as far as
going to Church on Sundays
and worshiping the Lord in Holy
Mass, they neglected that. So we
pray for them, he explained.
Ireland, a bastion of
Catholicism in Europe, recently
saw the legalization of same-sex
marriage.
Pilgrimage of faith
Burns, an IEC veteran, went on
A8
CBCP Monitor
Victoria Baterina-Solis.
According to her, recipients
of the free magnesium therapy
were patients with various painful
conditions, like headaches,
arthritis, muscle cramps, back
pain, and also skin itchiness.
HOPE also gave away 150
bottles of 100 ml. magnesium
oil, Baterina-Solis said. They
were also able to train seven
magnesium therapy volunteers.
HOPE rolled out its painhealing outreach in 2015. The
effectiveness of magnesium
therapy in addressing painful
conditions related to magnesium
deficiency inspired the team to
venture across the country to
reach more people.
Magnesium healing sessions
Hundreds who complained
of migraine, frozen shoulders,
stiff fingers, and other painful
conditions as well as insomnia
experienced relief and treatment
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma blesses one of the statues of Jesus inside the Eukaristia Garden, located
inside the Archbishops Residence in Cebu City, Jan. 25, 2016. With its iconic features, including a 14-meter
monolithic structure called the The Cross Tower, the Eukaristia Garden is the citys newest landmark and
a memorable feature of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. ROY LAGARDE
CBCP Monitor
PASTORAL CONCERNS B1
Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2016
Those who
migrate are
forced to change
some of their
most distinctive
characteristics
and, whether
they like or not,
even those who
welcome them are
also forced
to change.
marked by great movements of migration, identity is not a secondary
issue. Those who migrate are forced
to change some of their most distinctive characteristics and, whether they
like or not, even those who welcome
them are also forced to change. How
can we experience these changes not
as obstacles to genuine development,
rather as opportunities for genuine
human, social and spiritual growth, a
growth which respects and promotes
those values which make us ever more
humane and help us to live a balanced
relationship with God, others and
creation?
The presence of migrants and refugees seriously challenges the various
societies which accept them. Those
societies are faced with new situations
which could create serious hardship
unless they are suitably motivated,
managed and regulated. How can we
ensure that integration will become
mutual enrichment, open up positive
perspectives to communities, and
prevent the danger of discrimination, racism, extreme nationalism or
xenophobia?
Biblical revelation urges us to welcome the stranger; it tells us that in
so doing, we open our doors to God,
and that in the faces of others we
see the face of Christ himself. Many
institutions, associations, movements
and groups, diocesan, national and
international organizations are experiencing the wonder and joy of
the feast of encounter, sharing and
Erbil, Iraq - April 4, 2015. Yazidi refugees outside of an abandoned building, helped by Christians in Erbil, Iraq.
Vatican City - September, 7, 2013: Pope Francis led a prayer vigil for peace in Syria in St. Peters Square
on September 7, 2013.
CNA
life is lost.
Migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away
from poverty, hunger, exploitation
and the unjust distribution of the
planets resources which are meant
to be equitably shared by all. Dont
we all want a better, more decent
and prosperous life to share with our
loved ones?
At this moment in human history,
CNA
B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS
CBCP Monitor
CNA
Rome, Italy - January 1, 2016. Pope Francis opens the Holy Doors of Mercy at
St. Mary Major Basilica after New Years Day Mass for the Solemnity of Mary,
the Mother of God on January 1, 2016.
Holy Doors, B4
CNA
CBCP Monitor
FEATURES B3
ARRIVAL OF SPANIARDS. In
March 1521 Ferdinand Magellan arrived in search of spices and converts
for Charles I (Emperor Charles V); it
was his son Prince Philip, later King
Philip II, whose name was bestowed
on the islands by Villalobos in 1542.
Lapulapu, a native chieftain of Cebu,
resisted Magellans claim of Spanish sovereignty, and he was mortally wounded
by Lapulapus spear thrust. In 1565
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established
the first permanent Spanish settlement
in Cebu. In 1571 Legazpi moved his
headquarters to Manila, making it the
capital of the colony. By the end of the
century, most of the lowlands were under Spanish rule, except for some southern islands which remained Muslim.
Islam had been introduced in the late
fourteenth or early fifteenth century. It
gradually exercised a strong influence
and helped develop a type of sophisticated political organization, semifeudal
and predatory, in Mindanao and Sulu
and initially in Manila. When the Spaniards encountered Muslims in the Philippines their hostile attitudes based on
Muslim-Christian encounters in Europe
(the struggle for independence from
Moorish rule in the Iberian Peninsula)
colored their outlook and relations;
Natalie Quimlat
parishes vacant.
RELIGIOUS CLERGY. The privileges of the Patronato Real conferred
by the Holy See on the Spanish crown
were a mixed blessing; they promoted
constructive collaboration between the
Church and the colonial government,
but it also led to friction. The focus of
difficulty was the religious parish priest
and the extent to which he was subject
to episcopal visitation and control. The
conflict gave rise to series of crises that
began as early as the administration of
Bishop Salazar (1581-1594). In 1744
the Holy See ruled that religious parish
priests were subject to the jurisdiction of
the ordinary in all matters pertaining to
their parish duties (in officio officiando)
and to their religious superiors in their
personal conduct.
With the advent of the revolutionary
era in Europe and the loss of Spains
American colonies, the terms of the
problem in the Philippines changed. It
became widely believed in official circles
that the presence of the religious in the
parishes was a political necessity, not so
much because they were religious as because they were Spaniards and could be
relied upon to keep the population loyal. This seems to have been one factor
behind the thinking related to the royal
B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS
CBCP Monitor
Bolsena-Orvieto is a testament
to that. This is not to encourage presumption. Rather, it is
to affirm that regardless of the
level of our faith, now is a good
time to ask for an increase in
this faith as a fitting response
to Gods unrelenting goodness
and mercy.
To get that
close to what
can only be
described
as Gods
condescension
to the hardheartedness of
man makes one
truly thankful
that, despite
our sinfulness,
God continues
to have mercy
on us and
reaches out
to us.
Dominic Barrios
By Robert Z. Cortes
Holy Doors, B2
each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them
their passage through the Holy
Door, because the mercy of God
is able to transform hearts, and
is also able to transform bars
into an experience of freedom.
I have asked the Church in
this Jubilee Year to rediscover
the richness encompassed by
the spiritual and corporal works
of mercy. The experience of
mercy, indeed, becomes visible
in the witness of concrete signs
as Jesus himself taught us. Each
time that one of the faithful
personally performs one or
more of these actions, he or she
shall surely obtain the Jubilee
Indulgence. Hence the commitment to live by mercy so as
to obtain the grace of complete
and exhaustive forgiveness by
the power of the love of the
Father who excludes no one.
The Jubilee Indulgence is thus
full, the fruit of the very event
which is to be celebrated and
experienced with faith, hope
and charity.
Furthermore, the Jubilee
Indulgence can also be obtained
for the deceased. We are bound
to them by the witness of faith
and charity that they have left
us. Thus, as we remember them
in the Eucharistic celebration,
thus we can, in the great mystery
of the Communion of Saints,
pray for them, that the merciful Face of the Father free them
of every remnant of fault and
strongly embrace them in the
unending beatitude.
The Pope also granted widespread faculties to priests to
remove the excommunication
related to abortion, and granted
faculties to the priests associated
with the Society of St. Pius X so
that their absolutions would be
valid and the faithful who confess with them can obtain the
jubilee indulgence. He added
another concession:
The Roman Ritual states
that Diocesan Bishops, and
others equated to them in law,
have the faculty to impart,
according to the prescribed
formula, the Papal Blessing
with a plenary indulgence three
times a year on solemn feasts
of their own choice, using the
rite specifically prepared for
that occasion.
Pope Francis, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Mercy,
has granted that all the bishops
History, B3
CHURCH RESPONSE.
The normal life of the Catholic
Church suffered disastrously
during the years following 1898;
in several respects it would be
decades before a condition approximating normalcy would
again be reached. From 1898
to 1900 there were almost no
resident bishops; diocesan priests
remained in very short supply
and some had defected to the
Aglipayans; seminaries were
closed in 1898 and did not reopen until 1904. From 1898 to
1903 the total number of friars
decreased over 75% from 1,013
to 246. In a word, the Church
was in chaos.
The true beginnings of the
reorganization of the Church
began with the persistent efforts
of Monsignor Guidi through his
negotiations with the American
government and the Filipino
clergy. Leo XIII, in his apostolic
letter Quae mari sinico (1902) reorganized the hierarchy, created
four new dioceses, and strongly
recommended to the Philippine
hierarchy the formation of a
native clergy. The first official
Provincial Council of Manila
was convened in 1907 with the
goals of reviving the faith of the
Filipinos, restoring the local
Church, and inspiring in the
clergy a spirit of apostolic zeal.
Meanwhile, the severe shortage of priests and religious was
met in part by new, non-Spanish
missionary congregations of
women and men from Europe,
Australia, and America. For
example, male missionary societies that responded to the
pressing needs in the 1905-1941
period are: Irish Redemptorists
(1905), Mill Hill Missionaries
(1906), Scheut-CICM (1907),
Sacred Heart Missionaries and
Divine Word Society (1908), LaSalle Brothers (1911), Oblates of
Saint Joseph (1915), Maryknoll
Missioners (1926), Columban
Missioners (1929), Society of
Saint Paul (1935), Quebec-PME
Society (1937), and OblatesOMI (1939). Many dedicated
female religious came as missionaries to the Philippines, often
CBCP Monitor
STATEMENTS B5
CNA
Message of his Holiness Pope Francis for the 24th World Day of the Sick 2016
DEAR Brothers and Sisters,
The twenty-fourth World Day
of the Sick offers me an opportunity to draw particularly close
to you, dear friends who are ill,
and to those who care for you.
This year, since the Day of the
Sick will be solemnly celebrated
in the Holy Land, I wish to
propose a meditation on the
Gospel account of the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2: 1-11),
where Jesus performed his first
miracle through the intervention of his Mother. The theme
chosen - Entrusting Oneself to
the Merciful Jesus like Mary:
Do whatever he tells you (Jn
2:5) is quite fitting in light of
the Extraordinary Jubilee of
Mercy. The main Eucharistic
celebration of the Day will take
place on 11 February 2016, the
liturgical memorial of Our Lady
of Lourdes, in Nazareth itself,
where the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among
us (Jn 1:14). In Nazareth,
Jesus began his salvific mission,
applying to himself the words
of the Prophet Isaiah, as we are
told by the Evangelist Luke:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim
a year acceptable to the Lord
(Lk4:18-19).
Illness, above all grave illness,
B6 REFLECTIONS
CBCP Monitor
When the
harrowing
things that had
been written in
the books
of the prophets
about the
Messiah came
to pass, Jesus
did not balk.
He stood at
his post, even
when his whole
body shivered
and drops of
perspiration
turned
to blood.
conversion and salvation. (See Ez
18:23 and 33:11) A prophet shares
in Gods concern for them and
gives his/her best to make Gods
Lent:
an opportunity to set
our priorities right
Ash Wednesday (C)
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Beginning of the Lenten
Season; February 10, 2016
Bo Sanchez
SOULFOOD
How to climb your mountains
IM not the athletic type.
One excuse: Im an only son. It so
happened that my five sisters werefor
some reasonall women.
My Dad? He wasnt also athletic. Oh
yes, when I was a kid, he used to ask me
to jog with him. But his entire jogging
route was inside his garage. He jogged
around his parked car.
But one day, I did something absolutely nuts. I went to the mountains of
Sagada and went rock climbing.
For those who havent tried it, let
me give you a very technical definition
ENCOUNTERS
No fear of God
GOD surely wants us to fearlessly trust in Him and face the challenges of a fast
secularizing world, challenges meant to strengthen our faith as lived by taught
by the Son of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all the heroic saints
who followed in the divine footsteps.
I recall the psychologist I had read about many years ago, Dr. Alexander Cannon, M.C., Ph.D., D.P.M., who wrote in his book Powers That Be that the
lion takes its fierceness from your fear: walk up to him and he will run from you;
run away from him and he will run after you. I compare this to lifes trials that
give us strength if we turn away from fear and face them bravely, as the same
book suggests: face a situation fearlessly and there is no situation to be faced.
Even prayer beckons the person who turns to God on his knees to surrender
Encounters, B7
CBCP Monitor
SOCIAL CONCERNS B7
Linda Noche
Joann Fernandez
AFTER Alay Kapwas 40th year celebration last year, and its culmination with
Year of the Poor in October, CBCPNASSA is ready again to launch its
Alay Kapwa (AK) National Lenten
Campaign this year, as Ash Wednesday
approaches on Feb. 10.
This year, 2016, is a significant year
for NASSA as it marks its golden anniversary with the theme: The Gains
and Pains in the Past our Strength and
Commitment in Journeying with Gods
Poor. As AK 2016 adopts this theme,
after launching NASSA 50s ninemonth celebration with the bishops in
January, it will celebrate with the Social
Action Network (SAN) of the 86 arch/
dioceses at the AK national launching
Mary, B5
Encounters, B6
Soulfood, B6
you to reach?
If your life isnt exciting, it may
because youve not been climbing
mountains.
Hear this: It will be your fears that
will keep you from reaching the summit.
But God is your rope. No matter what
happens, Hell hold you tight. Even if
you slip or make mistakes in climbing
the mountain, Hell never let go. Hell
keep you safe in His hands.
But if you think I was excited rock
climbing, it was nothing compared to
my excitement watching my 9-year old
son climb
Your Mountains Make You Grow
Believe me, it was incredible just seeing my son go up!
When he was already some 50 feet up
Lent, B6
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THE CROSS
Members of Knights of Columbus Council (#) pass through the main entrance of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) Pavilion on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. ROY LAGARDE
TURNOVER. THE Knights of Columbus Visayas Jurisdiction has turned over the 200 blankets and tarpaulins to the Membership and Program Provincial Coordinator (MPPC) of
Northern Samar and to Bro. Oskar Monje last January 16, 2016 for distribution to the victims of Typhoon Nona a calamity assistance from the Knights of Columbus Visayas
Jurisdiction led by State Deputy, Anthony Nazario. (VizNews)
A Christmas Carol. THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Seminarians from Daet had their Annual Christmas Carolling
at the home office of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) last December 21, 2015.
Poster-Making Contest. The Knights of Columbus Pasay City Council 4267 in coordination
with the Sta. Clara De Montefalco parish had an on-the-spot poster and slogan-making
contest participated by junior and senior high school students from different schools in
Pasay. The activity themed Protection of Life, Fight Abortion was held last January 16,
2016 at the 4th floor of St. Matthew Hall, Sta. Clara, Pasay City. (KC News)
Death Claim Benefits. IN PHOTO are the beneficiaries of the late Bro. Antonio C. Mencias of Las Pinas City. Receiving the check
in the amount of more than P1.1 M is Sis. Marcela A. Mencias (lady in white blouse) together with her daughters. The check was
handed over by KCFAPI Chairman Arsenio Isidro G. Yap and witnessed by (from left) KCFAPI VP Gari M. San Sebastian, KCFAPI EVP
Ma. Theresa G. Curia, daughters of Bro. Mencias, KCFAPI Independent Trustee Atty. Rogelio V. Garcia, KCFAPI Trustee Pascual C.
Carbero and KCFAPI Treasurer Raoul A. Villanueva.
C2
Chairmans Message
Curia Settings
Presidents Message
The Eucharist:
A place and event for gathering and transformations
ON January 16, 2016, the 51st
International Congress will be held in
Cebu. The first Congress was held in
France in 1881 and it was in 1937 during
the 33rd Eucharistic Congress that
Manila became the host with the helping
hand of our very own Servant of God,
Rev. Fr. George J. Willmann. There
has been no sequence as to the number
of years before another International
Eucharistic Congress is held since 1881.
Some were held a year, 2 years, 3 years,
5 years, 8 years, or even 14 years after
the other. The event is held in different
parts of the world and engages the whole
Church to reflect on the importance
and relevance of encountering Jesus in
the Eucharistic celebration. The whole
Church is also challenged to deepen
their devotion and commitment to
the Greatest Sacrament and all that it
stands for.
The core of the teaching of the Church
on the Eucharist is this: The Eucharist
is the font and summit of the Church
Life. Whenever we gather around the
Eucharist, we become the Body of
Christ for our time. The Risen Lord
becomes alive in the heart of the world.
No wonder that from the Eucharist,
we draw all the graces we need to be
able to exist gracefully as we encounter
Jesus and the community. Similarly,
all our daily activities, all the collective
efforts of the world towards justice,
unity and love are geared towards
making us a whole body worthy of being
able to celebrate the Eucharist. All our
accomplishments attain meaning and
fullness only when they are directed
towards the Lord at the Eucharist.
The Eucharist then becomes a place of
gathering and transformations.
At our celebration of the Eucharist,
the crowds which gather around One
Common Table become a Family, a
Body. Individuals who did not know
each other and who come together in
Michael P. Cabra
My Brothers Keeper
The Cross
or retirement support.
Then Glory, because
insurance benefit may
continue to provide not
only for the basic needs but
also for the achievement of
dreams especially that of the
members children. Statistics
show that most financially
successful people came from
families with life insurance
protection.
This same thought is the
integral part of the program
of the Knights of Columbus
Order since the dawn of its
founding in 1882. Fr. Michael
McGivney once HOPED that
his Knights will bring GLORY
to their family. With this we
can say that one is not a fullpledged member of the Order
if he doesnt have a benefit
certificate.
Having a benefit certificate
is not only for the rich or can-
An Affair to Remember
OLD movies and TV shows showcase
a womans traditional role as a homemaker. A typical scenario in films is that
the woman cooks dinner as her husband
comes home from work with his
briefcase in hand then she delightedly
greets him and asks him how his day
was. In these reels of classic cinema,
it specifies gender roles for men and
women wherein the men are the strong
breadwinners of the family and women
lovingly take care of the children and
household duties. Nowadays, women
are regularly performing duties that
were traditionally assigned to males.
They also have the amazing ability to
still be able to perform and constantly
maintain her duties at home. I tell you,
I do not know where and how they
find the time and energy to juggle and
balance their careers and take care of
the family.
The Cross
C3
An Affair to Remember, C2
C4
The Cross
Luzon AMs Meeting. THE first area managers meeting for the year 2016 was held last January 7 at the KCFAPI board room attended
by KCFAPI officials Chairman, Arsenio Isidro G. Yap; President, Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr; Executive Vice President, Ma. Theresa G.
Curia; and Vice President for FBG, Gari M. San Sebastian. The activity aims to discuss the performance of their area last 2015 and
the plans and programs of the Fraternal Benefits Group this year.
ANNOUNCEMENT
There will be two Walk for Life events this 2016. The
first one will be held on March 12, 2016 in Manila to
be sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Luzon South
Jurisdiction. The second one will be held on March 19,
2016 in Malolos, Bulacan to be sponsored by the Knights
of Columbus Luzon North Jurisdiction.