Outreach in Adams held

The Catechetical and Mission Office conducted an outreach in Adams, Ilocos Norte in celebration of the Mission Month, October 29.

Located on top of a mountain, Adams remains one of the economically challenged towns of Ilocos Norte. This town and Barangays Balaoi, Caunayan, Pancian and Pasaleng of Pagudpud make up the recently established quasi-parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, whose church is in Pancian. Rev. Antonio Calautit, SVD administers the parish.

The office, in collaboration with the parishes' catechetical coordinators, began planning for the outreach as early as July. That same month Bishop Sergio Utleg and the clergy approved the plan as a course of action for the whole diocese.

Catechesis on the Church's missionary life was given in schools and in parish churches from August to October. Donations in cash and in kind were submitted to the parish offices and ultimately to the Catechetical and Mission Office as part of the people's response.

A Eucharistic celebration presided over by the bishop, with Rev. Nolasco Pascua, Jr., Catechetical and Mission Director, and Rev. Calautit concelebrating, at the St. Isidore Chapel formally opened the day's mission.

In his homily, Bishop Utleg said the outreach is a way to show God’s love for the least of our brethren.

He also said Adams is a perfect place to conduct such activities because of its distance and the presence of indigenous people. He admitted, “When they said that the outreach will be in Adams, I approved it because it would not only be in celebration of the Mission Month but also of the indigenous peoples who are honored during the Mission Month."

Bishop Utleg is the Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

A catechetical instruction for the children followed the mass. Meanwhile, more than 300 adults and children availed of the medical and dental clinic offered by the San Lorenzo Ruiz Medical-Dental Charity Clinic of the Social Action Commission, at the Adams Central Elementary School hall.

The office prepared lunch for all. A gift-giving ended the outreach.

Youths want to help strengthen Bible Apostolate

July 29, 2008, LAOAG CITY, Philippines (UCAN) -- Young people attending a Bible congress here in the northern Philippines told their Church leaders they want to participate in promoting the Gospel.

Speaking at the Second Bible Congress of the Diocese of Laoag, John Paul Calamaan asked for "strong formation, organization and mobilization among youths in parishes" to help young people relate Scripture to everyday life.

Once organized, Calamaan explained, parish youth council members could more easily convene and collaborate on efforts to help the Church promote the Gospel.

Calamaan, 28, a teacher at Divine Word College of Laoag, represented the Commission on Youth workshop group at the July 26 congress, held at St. Mary's Seminary gym in Laoag City.

"We want to feel we belong to the Church," the parish youth-ministry worker said. But he admitted, "We lack appreciation of the word of God."

Calamaan later told UCA News this lack is due mainly to the absence of concrete Church plans and programs for the youth.

Laoag City, 340 kilometers north of Manila, is the capital of Ilocos Norte province, which Laoag diocese covers. Sixty-seven percent of the more than 658,000 people in the diocesan area are Catholics, according to Church data.

The diocese commemorated the 47th anniversary of its establishment with the Bible congress on Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.

Approximately 500 delegates took part, including members of the diocesan commissions on liturgy and worship, Christian education, social services, youth, vocations and family. Catechists, Catholic school teachers and members of Basic Ecclesial Communities also participated, as well as Bible apostolate workers.

In workshop groups they shared about Bible stories and texts, and how they experience these in their lives and in the community. They also considered how their respective sectors can make the Bible known to people in the diocese.

The congress aimed to gather insights and ideas from diocesan commissions and the 28 parishes of Laoag. The first diocesan Bible congress was held in 1989.

In a pastoral statement read in parishes on July 6, Bishop Sergio Utleg of Laoag explained the Church was convening the congress in response to the pope's call to promote the Bible in the life and mission of the Church. Its theme is the same as the topic Pope Benedict XVI has set for the 12th ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for October.

Biblical apostolate director Father Victor Hernando told UCA News at the congress, "There is still a lot of work to do to enable the faithful to completely understand the Bible apostolate."

His team has observed parishes taking Bible sharing and related seminars as something "extra" rather than as an "integral part of the parish," he said.

"If parish leaders will give attention to this, we could expect Bible formation in the barangays (smallest unit of the local government)," the 51-year-old director said. He acknowledged the apostolate needs to find the "proper strategy" to engage youths.

Father Hernando admitted there has been no formal effort to engage youths in Bible sharing or the Bible apostolate during his more than 25 years working in the apostolate. But he acknowledged "committed youth" could be the Church's "lasting companions" in this work.

Auxiliary Bishop Renato Mayugba of Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese, southwest of Laoag, presented the keynote address, in which he challenged participants to "transform and redirect" Christian devotion and show it in action.

"Although the word of God has been preached, our people have not been truly evangelized," observed the prelate, who serves in the Commission on Biblical Apostolate of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.

He suggested including Scriptural stories and texts in catechetical modules, which at times present primarily Church doctrine.

Laoag diocese marks 47th foundation anniversary with Bible Congress

Laoag will hold a congress on the Word of God in commemoration of its erection as a diocese in 1961 at the St. Mary's Seminary Gym, July 26.

Fifteen to 17 delegates from each of the 28 parishes in the diocese are expected to attend the congress, the first since 1989, to be keynoted by Most Rev. Renato P. Mayugba, D.D., Auxilliary Bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan and Chairman of the Northern Luzon Commission on Biblical Apostolate.

Themed "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church," the congress aims to help the delegates understand the place of the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church and the implications of said theme in the pastoral programs of the different commissions. The resolutions of the congress will be considered and employed by the diocese in the conceptualization and implementation of its programs.

The output also becomes the reference of the lead commission of the congress, the Commission on Biblical Apostolate, headed by Fr. Victor Hernando, in the preparation of its pastoral programs.

Delegates are expected to arrive at 8:00 a.m. The congress will be formally opened with a Bible enthronement and the presentation of the rationale and objectives of the congress at 8:30. The talk of Bishop Mayugba at 9:00 will be followed by the workshop. The formulation of resolutions will take place at 1:00 p.m. The resolutions will be presented during the plenary session at 1:30. A eucharistic celebration presided over by Most Rev. Sergio L. Utleg, D.D., Bishop of Laoag, and concelebrated by the priests of the diocese, will close the congress.

Mission Commission to launch mission awareness and involvement program

The Commission on Mission drew up its plan for the celebration of the Mission Month in October in its first coordinators' meeting, July 4.

Presided over by Fr. Nolasco "Tom" Pascua, Jr., the newly-appointed commission director, assisted by Sr. Evangeline Pabalate, MCST, the meeting was called to put in order its program of activities for a meaningful celebration of the month of mission.

The Commission has set itself to (1) make the people, especially school children, aware of the missionary life of the Church, (2) develop the virtue of generosity in them, (3) stir up the missionary spirit in them hopefully culminating in involvement, and (4) visit chosen apostolate area/areas as beneficiaries of the “missionary” gifts of the people.

To realize these, (a) a catechesis on mission in both the parish and the classroom settings shall be given. A lesson guide for this purpose shall be made available for use of the catechists. (b) A “mission desk” shall be put up in a strategic place outside the parish churches where voluntary contributions for the Pondo para iti Misyon, in the fashion of the ‘widow’s mite’, may be made by parishioners, including the school children. (c) Business establishments shall be requested to sponsor “mission cans,” which the catechists will prepare, into which their clients may meaningfully ‘waste’ their scraps. Students and pupils of the diocesan schools shall also be encouraged to prepare and sponsor mission cans as a class or individually. (d) The PPC and PFC of the parishes shall be humbly asked to help catechists look for donors as well as to contribute in cash for the Pondo or in kind. (e) Catechists shall also do their share of sacrifice for the Pondo.

This plan presupposed the approval and generous support of the Priests' Assembly, especially the parish priests and school directors. The assembly gave its nod during its monthly meeting, July 15.

The Commission will select the beneficiary/beneficiaries in the next coordinators’ meeting on August 1. Whether to hold the outreach on the parochial, vicarial or diocesan level, or a combination of two, will finally be decided.

IN FOCUS: St. John Bosco Parish, host of this year's diocesan celebration of Christ the King