Spiritans in Manila

Writing in the rain.

2011-08-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Classes are cancelled today because of Typhoon Juaning (international name, Nok-ten), so I’m here listening to the pounding rain and wild wind while writing a few thoughts about the new semester. To be honest, I’m always a little uncomfortable when another typhoon hits. Actually most of Metro Manila and I get nervous, still recalling the ravages and floods of Typhoon Ondoy two years ago. Our house was knee-high in water as Rick, Dennis and I scrambled to get everything we could up to the second floor. You probably remember the stories and photos from the blog. There’s been such a strange change in weather patterns recently. Two years ago the typhoon season was long and violent. Last year the rainy season all but disappeared! And now it’s back with great flare! We are certainly in a time of change!

Emboy, Aying, Ray, and I are doing well and getting ready for Midterm Exam time. The computer seems to be going round the clock as the guys churn out report after report. As for me, I have oral exams coming up. They are a lot of work, but a great time to meet my students one by one. The dinner table conversation often turns to classes, and I’m always impressed by the guys’ new understandings, insights, and even questions.

Fr. Frederic finished his courses in the Emmaus Program for formators, which will be a great help to him in his ministry of Director of Postulants in Vietnam. Fr. Frederic left a few days ago for a break and will return in October to continue his “formation for formators”. He is a great addition to our community here and we miss him already. When he gets back, Fr. Frederic will contribute some of his thoughts and insights to this blog…so stay tuned!! And by the way, if he challenges you to a ping pong game, be careful!! He’s a lot better than he says!!

Emboy, Aying, and Rey continue to lend a gentle and helpful presence at the Blessed Guanells Center, a residence for persons with disabilities, run by the Servants of Charity. Emboy has promised to share some of his experiences and insights with us here in the blog next month.

The guys are also very involved in the Forum for young professed religious and seminarians. Last year Dennis was a board member, this year Aying is. It’s great for them to be with young men and women from all over the

Philippines

and all over the world who continue to grow in their understanding of God’s call to religious life and ministry.

I was invited by Ateneo’s Youth for Christ to share with them as they spent a weekend of prayer and fellowship. What a dynamic and inspiring group! Among them were both former and present students of mine. Then I was also invited by the Augustinians (OSA) to be the speaker at their recollection. Having lived in Algeria, the home of St. Augustine, it was a special blessing for me to be with more than thirty professed Augustinians who are studying theology nearby. It happens that many are from the Visayan-speaking region, so they were happily surprised to find themselves speaking with me in Cebuano, thanks to my many wonderful years in Iligan!

Soon we’ll have a meeting of the Advisory Council of the Loyola School of Theology, of which I’m a member. Right before we broke for the summer, we were graced by an insightful and enriching workshop on formation at the theology level. The formators of the different communities who attend Loyola School of Theology are a diverse group of men and women of varying ages, nationalities, backgrounds, and spiritualities. That’s what’s so enriching about it.

You know the old saying, “One picture is worth a thousand words”, so I’ll end now since hopefully some photos we want to share with you will also tell of our life here.

Thank you for your prayers. May God continue to bless you and all those dear to you!! Come back here soon to hear from Emboy and to learn about our continuing adventures!

In the joy of the Spirit,

Daniel for the whole Holy Spirit Formation Community, Quezon City

New School Year, New Blessings.

2011-06-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

We’re back! The Holy Spirit Formation Community here in Metro Manila has gathered together again after a very fruitful and enjoyable summer. Right before we left in April, we were asked to facilitate a retreat of some 50 university students. We were asked to do this as a community, the Spiritans! So the four of us, Dennis, Emboy, Aying and I, planned the five-day retreat in the cool, windy mountains of Tagaytay and had a wonderful time sharing with each other and with the students. It was a real blessing for all of us.

Then we went off in all different directions. Dennis, having finished two years of theology at Loyola School of Theology, spent some time in Midsalip with Frs. Jean-Marie and Peter, and is now in Cebu helping Fr. Martin with his youth work while waiting for his visa for Australia where he will have a two-year exposure to mission life. We miss him already, but know this will be a great experience for him. Emboy lived with Fr. Adam in Digkilaan, a very poor, rural parish in the Diocese of Iligan; while Aying went to Midsalip, in the Diocese of Pagadian, with Frs. Raymond and James. Emboy and Aying share some of their experinces in just a moment.

We are also very happy to welcome our newest Spiritan, Rey Desamparado, who professed his religious vows on May 13. Rey, 30 years old, is originally from Cebu and met the Spiritans through Fr. Martin and his work there. In the very short time together we’ve discovered one thing that is certain: Rey is an excellent cook!! When it’s his turn to prepare dinner, we all keep our eyes on the clock not to be late!! His many other talents are also surfacing quickly.

As for me, I got to go back to the States for a visit. It was wonderful! I stayed mostly at our amazing Spiritan high school, Holy Ghost Prep, just outside Philadelphia. Being an educator and formator, it was great fun to be in a Spiritan school and enjoy their many interesting programs. In another case of “perfect timing”, I was at Holy Ghost Prep when their new chapel windows were installed, including one which commemorates the founding of the Spiritan missions in East Asia. You can see it here on the blog, the symbols the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam blended together in harmony; the year we began, 1997, clearly visible.

I also got back to Brooklyn, staying at the rectory of the parish I grew up in. New York City is always “home” in a way beyond words, and just being there is a shot in the arm of renewed energy and vigour! It was wonderful to wander the streets of my old neighborhood, talking Arabic with the shopkeepers, tasting delicious dishes of my youth, catching up on the latest Middle Eastern music. Then I was also off to our Provincialate in Bethel Park, and I stayed our retirement home outside Pittsburgh. It was a very touching experience for me to be with the elders, Spiritans who were the age I am now when I first joined some thirty years ago. Just being with them, listening to their stories and reminiscences, praying with them, laughing…it was a time of blessing and encouragement for me. I went to our Spiritan University, Duquesne University, remembering fondly the short time I taught there, in between my time in Algeria and my coming to the Philippines. I also visited our wonderful parish, Our Lady, Queen of Peace, in Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.

All in all it was a wonderful time to catch up with family and friends, to be with the great guys of the American Province, to be inspired by so many fine people. A little less than two months, it flew by quickly, and now I’m back, looking forward to a new school year with our younger Spiritan confreres and with my energetic and engaging students of Theology at Ateneo de Manila University. But enough about me…let’s hear a bit from Emboy and Aying. In the coming months Rey will share with you some reflections about being a newly professed member of the Community and living here in Metro Manila. There is so much we’d like to share with you, so keep checking our blog site and then!

May the blessings of Pentecost be ours always!! Celebrate the Gifts of the Holy Spirit!

--Daniel S. Sormani, C.S.Sp.

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Lord Hold My Right Hand!

By Alfre C. Liwagon, C.S.Sp.

Last summer I was assigned to Digkilaan Parish. I was there for one month and two weeks. It was the most exciting experience I’ve ever had in terms of exposure. I chose to journey with the youth with the participation of the youth leaders, Mr. Adrian Pete Canoy and Mr. Angelo Capadiso. We worked together as a team to reach out to those gentle men and women from far places of the parish. Our mission was to offer retreats and recollections. We had three important destinations: MAINIT PROPER, STA. CRUZ ROGONGON, and DIGKILAAN PROPER. We were very fortunate to have “Fireball’ with us, that’s what we call one of our motorcycles. Without it we could not have reached those places. Actually, Filipinos are fans of giving names to things and even animals that can help in our daily lives. For this, the three of us went to those places with special thanks to our very own expert driver, Adrian.

For me, I just couldn’t imagine how we would reach those mountainous places and encounter young men and women who have faith in the Lord Jesus. They were so happy to see the three of us struggling with one motorcycle. They asked us how many times we fell! It was more exciting for them to know, especially when Adrian told them that we couldn’t manage to cross the river without falling a number of times. Things like this made them happy as we discovered how they live and how they survive in this trying trial of life.

By the time we were heading to Sta Cruz Rogongon, fifteen kilometres from the parish, I said to myself, “This is the end!” because I can’t count anymore how many times we fell, both on the road and in the river. The road was so steep! The river was filled with stones. My feet and my hips were aching. I was so exhausted and scared. And the cliffs left and right were so deadly. Even worse, when rain came, “Fireball” was struggling to manage the muddy and narrow roads we were passing. When the road was so slippery, well, that was the worst. I could only see the high cliff that was before us. I was so afraid at that moment. The driver was about to drift off from the wet little pathway, and down there was nothing but death. One mistake would be fatal. And I said with deep supplication, “Lord, hold my right hand!” We were balancing and my right hand continued to rise high, as if God were holding me. I got teary-eyed the moment we passed from those narrow roads. It was all about faith that we were able to survive. I didn’t know what to do except, ask the Lord for help.

I thank the Lord for that experience. I learned a lot, especially how to fight for mission. It is by way of trusting the Lord even though things look impossible. My faith in Jesus saved me. The Lord was there and I could feel he was holding my right hand. I can see how theological insights were moving in my life as a young professed religious. Things can be difficult and disturbing if we do not choose to suffer for the good of the mission. Before we choose something, trials and circumstances are set. All we have to do is to respond freely to the challenges they bring.

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Mission Experience

I am Aying, Gavino Jr, a professed Spiritan from the land of Ozamiz City. I made my first profession May 23, 2010. I am now in my second year in Theology at Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University.

We ended our class last semester on March 26. After that, we prepared ourselves for the retreat of the Ateneo student catechists in Tagaytay City. It was the first time that the Spiritan Community in Manila facilitated a retreat together for five days. Fr. Dan, Dennis, Emboy and I, each had our own topic to discuss with the group. It was very wonderful and enjoyable. It was also a time of reflection being with the Lord away from the busy days of our classes. And it was also the good ambiance for our own community bonding.

After the retreat, we went directly to our home and prepared all the things for the summer exposure. Fr. Dan left on April 2 for his holiday. Dennis, Emboy and I left April 5 for summer exposure. Dennis went directly to Maasin, Leyte. Emboy went to Digkilaan, Iligan City for summer exposure. I went directly to Pagadian City and then to Midsalip, Zamboanga Del Sur for the exposure.

I arrived at Pagadian City on Tuesday April 5. Fr James Kutav picked me up at the airport and then we travelled almost three hours going to Midsalip, Zamboanga Del Sur. The road was very disgusting and it was an uncomfortable ride to reach the place. The road will shake your body and head and it will end up tiring everything. But it was an enjoyable travel because I saw the beauty of the mountains by the side of the road. As soon as I arrived in San Jose Parish, Midsalip, Zamboanga Del Sur, my exposure began. I began directly to observe and familiarize myself with the place and the people.

The Parish is situated in the center of the town. It has a wide range of land which is about one hectare in length and also holds the home of the Columban Sisters who are ministering to the Subanen or the Lumads (the indigenous people). The parish has thirty chapels in different barangays (neighborhoods). There are four chapels in areas not yet a barangay and there are also three barangays that have no chapel yet because they are very far and remote places with solid Subanen settlers. In these towns there are many people who turned to Christianity and only few Lumad-Subanen who remain in their tradition and culture. As I observed, out of the population in Midsalip, 80 percent of it is Catholic faithful and the rest belong to other denominations or are Subanen Tribes.

The people in this place are gradually growing in faith. They continually underwent transformation of their lives and also of socializations according to the standard and doctrines of the Church. As I merged myself with them, I discovered that they are still journeying towards further evangelization and spiritual maturity. That is why I give a heartfelt thanks to my brother Spiritans, Fr. Raymond and Fr. James, for their undying effort in guiding the people in their spiritual needs and in continuing the evangelization of the poor.

Furthermore, the place underwent different challenges and threats on mining issues and illegal logging. As I went around from one barangay to the other barangays, I noticed that the place of Midsalip is an undeveloped paradise because it has dazzling mountain ranges that are abundant and filled with vast forests. It has also a wide plantation of rice-fields and corn which is the source of their income. But many of the barangays are remote places and are only accessible by a motorcycle or “habal-habal”. And some barangays can only be reached by horses during rainy season. I experienced two times falling from the “habal-habal” when I went to one of the remote places for a week to live with the people. The driver and I just smiled and get up to continue the journey. It was two hours travel from the parish. The road was very tricky and risky; it would pass through the side of the mountains, a deep cleft, rivers and going up and down. It was very difficult travel in order to reach the place. When I reached the place, people were very generous and welcoming, and it was a consoling part of my travel. Most of them are mixed tribes, traditional religions and Christians. The majority of the people are settled in the barrios, their source of living is farming. Yet the people who are living in the proper or in the center of the town are progressing. They are mostly professionals in different fields and most of them are working in the local government. Some are also businessmen and women who own a large hectare of land and stores. Although they are from different cultures and tribes, they know and understand each other. And the spirit of harmony and peace can be felt even though there are people who are pro or against mining.

The people in my exposure area became closer to me as I lived with them, attending Basic Christian Community gatherings in different chapels, giving seminars to the catechists, facilitating recollections and giving talks to every zone composed of three to four chapels, giving talks to the youth, being with the altar servers, working in the new rectory together with the construction workers and attending the meeting of all the religious associations in the parish. Their laughter and tears, their stories of survival and personal experiences with God give me courage and strength and even purified my anxieties that make me strong to survive. I believe that it is the missionary spirit which brings me in the realm of strength and joy in my journey. It is hard for me to comprehend how I endure and remain steadfast after I experienced being with the people in the mountain place. But I believe that God called me mysteriously to this life as a religious.

I ended my exposure at San Jose Parish, Midsalip, Zamboanga Del Sur on May 27, 2011. I arrived here in Manila on the same day in the afternoon. Emboy, together with Rey the newly professed Spiritan, was already here, and later Fr. Dan arrived. Now we are back, registered at Loyola School of Theology, visited our ministry site, and are looking forward to another year of growth, challenge, and joy as Spiritans in formation. And as Fr. Dan often says, “Formation is a lifelong adventure.”…that sounds good to us!

Junior Professed Sharing

2010-10-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

This month we have a reflection from our three junior professed Spiritans…

Junior Professed Sharing
By Dennis Casanes, C.S.Sp., Aying Gavino, C.S.Sp., Alfre Liwagon, C.S.Sp.

Manila
After a year of Postulancy and a year of Novitiate formation and after happily taking our vows, we are now Spiritan Religious. For now we live our lives as religious in the Spiritan House of Studies, Manila. We are in our 2^nd cycle formation -- studying theology.

Metro Manila is a huge city and is extremely different, more diverse and complicated compared to the place where we come from – Mindanao. Though our house (Spiritan House of Studies) is very quiet, cool and comfortable, Metro Manila is generally crowded, noisy and polluted. Since this is where God has put us now, even if it is more challenging than being in Mindanao, we have to adapt and get used to this place. Only one of us found it manageable from the beginning, the rest were culturally shocked. There is so much that we did not know about Manila. When he took the train for the first time, Emboy, was scared and sweating inside. The condensed population, the tall buildings, the six lanes highways, some flyovers and underground highways, are some of the things we experienced for the first time. We are foreigners in our own country. For the new guys, they found it nice to have someone older than them in the place, showing them around and introducing them to some places and friends.

Language is also one of the challenges we had to face. We are all born and raised in Mindanao; we speak Cebuano eloquently. No one of us speaks Tagalog at home. When we were in elementary and high school we sometimes used it in our Tagalog Course, but after that we only heard it on TV. Now Tagalog is a must, it is our language of friendship and it is more helpful especially if we want to be understood in our apostolate, when riding the jeepneys, buying in the market, and the like. Many times we have been embarrassed because of our hard Cebuano accent when we speak Tagalog. Local people sometimes tease us. We also notice that in language comes culture, even in jokes, what Tagalog people consider funny usually for us Cebuanos does not make sense.

Spiritan House of Studies
This house is a perfect design if we are to aim for internationality. In terms of academic affairs, there are many international schools nearby, most, if not all, are in easy access and conducive for learning. So far we have welcomed confreres from Vietnam and Taiwan who studied English at Miriam College (high quality standard school, yet walking distance from the house) and they all had a great time and find the ambience perfect for studies. In the future we hope to welcome many confreres here. The sense of internationality is present in this house. In this house of studies we have very welcoming confreres, Fr. Dan, an American-Lebanese, and the three Filipino Spiritans.

Every now and then we invite our classmates, friends and other religious for group study, to play table tennis and sometimes watch TV and enjoy everyone’s company in friendship and camaraderie. Having good relationships with other young religious, we believe, is healthy and can strengthen our life as religious.

Loyola School of Theology, where we study, is more international. Students in this school are from all over the world. In one way or another, experiences like living with different nationalities help us enrich ourselves through sharing with other peoples from other countries and cultures.

Community life
Like all the Spiritans in the world we are also called to live out our Spiritan calling in a community, an essential element in our way of life as young religious. In the Spiritan House of Studies, Manila, we do not only live as a community but also as a true family. Even though we are so busy at school, we do not forget to give value to community life. Each one of us in the community has to take part in the responsibility of taking care of the things around the house. Like any poor family, we do not have house helpers. We help each other in running and keeping the house clean. By ourselves, we do the dishes, we sweep and mop the floor, we pay bills and we cultivate and beautify our garden and the like. We create a home that is clean and orderly, a home that is livable and comfortable. It is always a complement when our classmates remark that they like to visit and hang out with the Spiritans in their house because it is very homey and welcoming. During breakfast we have little discussions about our plans for the week and discuss if there are necessary things to do for the community.

We take turns going to the market. We learn how to budget, how to choose proper goods that are fresh, nutritious, delicious yet affordable. We believe that a religious who took the vow of poverty should know how much a kilo of rice costs; that a religious should be able to notice that a dozen eggs is in one store 50 cents cheaper than in the other store. The person who goes to the market is also the cook for the week. It is his opportunity to render a concrete service to the community. It is also an indirect way of expressing to the community what his favorite foods are.

Every Thursday is our community night. We bond through playing games, doing community projects, helping somebody’s homework, taking a walk or going to Mc Donalds for 25peso ice cream sundaes.

In the Spiritan House of Studies we are formed how to be a responsible adults. We do not just do what we are told to do...we take initiative. We are trained to develop our giftedness and potentials and that all dimensions of life are well tapped and balanced.

In our community, being a priest or a brother is less important than being a true religious family where one is concerned for everyone’s welfare. Thanks to our director Fr. Dan, our older brother.

Prayer Life
For us, Spiritual life is our core, the center and most essential part of our life as religious. It is the spring from which we take our strength to unreservedly respond to our Spiritan calling, to be completely available before God and before others. In a concrete way, we develop our Spiritual life through daily Eucharist, morning and evening prayer, and rosary. During the Eucharist we take turns sharing reflections after the Gospel. Each of us has our own spiritual director and confessor. Once a month we have one day of silent recollection. Every time the Spiritans celebrate a special feast like that of the founders; we also take time make the celebration meaningful.

Academic Life
We study at Loyola School of Theology, a Jesuit and Filipino institution and community of learning, dedicated to formative theological education and research within the Catholic tradition. At school we are enriched by excellent professors who teach every subject matter with mastery. The way of teaching gives us sufficient information. Our Professors are not only Filipinos but also foreigners. Each class is a mixture of religious men and women, diocesan seminarians and priests from all over the globe. We all believe that this ambiance inside the classroom is very interesting and enriching. Sometimes we don’t always agree with each other; we differ in our point of view depending on our cultural background.
The three of us had difficulty adjusting and placing our mind in the academic world, at least at the beginning. After few years of not being involved seriously in academic training, our first semester is like a rehabilitation process. Academics at Loyola School of Theology have a very high standard and demand we need to study really well. Some of us spend at least four to five hours a day, just for reading and understanding the subject matter and trying to figure how to apply it pastorally.
Because we believe this is where God is calling us now, we have to strive hard, not only so that we can give justice to the tuition fee, but also to grow in wisdom and understanding, and be leaned Spiritan religious. Eventually learning became enjoyable. we think any Spiritan religious should see the extreme value in continually honing and expanding his mind.

Pastoral Life

One of our commitments as Spiritan religious is to those oppressed and most disadvantaged as a group or individual; we are called to be defenders of the weak and the little ones. We live out this commitment through our apostolate in Guannela’s Center, a home that takes care of our brothers who are challenged physically and mentally. We stay there overnight; Saturday afternoon til Sunday. Every first weekend of the month is Dennis’ turn to assist in the center. Emboy goes every second week and Aying every third week. Every last week end of the month the three of us go together. We go there to take care of the people there who range in age from 9 to 50 years old, to bathe them, to feed them, to pray with them and bring them to church for mass. We find this apostolate very interesting and challenging, and so we continue doing it. One of us said that in this apostolate also he realized what it means to experience the essence of being with the poor and to the most abandoned. He said that, “for me personally, to be with this kind of people is not so easy. It is because I have to go down to their level so that I can sympathize with them. When I go there, I forget my image of who I am because I know they don’t bother about it. All they need is our care and love. That’s all.” So far our experiences has been very challenging but definitely enriching.

We are Juniors!
There are so many Congregations in Manila. In LST itself there are almost a hundred. We always find it interesting and enriching to get to know other “juniors” from other congregations. We are also active in a group called Juniors – Seminarians Forum (JSF). It is a gathering of all the temporary professed religious and seminarians, men and women, all over Metro Manila, and those from the provinces are also welcomed. As of this year, one of us Spritans works as part of the core group. The last time we had our gathering, there were about seven hundred of us from more than a hundred congregations. It was very meaningful for many of us. One of us said, “I can’t just imagine how God calls each one of us. The moment I mingled with them, I said to myself, ‘Wow, Lord, this is great. I can feel that we are not alone in the journey of religious life. My faith was awakened as I saw the number of religious flocking together in joy. I deeply realized how mysterious the call of God.” Another one said, “Personally such activities help me a clarifying God’s call. The more I get to know other congregations, their spirituality and charism, the more also I appreciate, love and embrace my own.” We gather. We share our charism and spirituality. We share our joys, struggles and doubts as young religious, we encourage one another and we get involved in social concerns, build community and work as a team. We also listen to our elders by inviting speakers whom we believe can guide us in our journey.
As we continue our journey day by day, we are very humbled to take our place in Spiritan history as the first Filipino Spiritans, doing our little part in the building of a new foundation and even a new program here in Manila. None of us can say “this is how it’s always been done”, so we listen to the Holy Spirit and our brothers and sisters in the Spiritan community...and we hear the voice of God.

Adventures in Manila.

2010-09-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

I’ll be the first to admit that all of us here in the Spiritan House of Studies, Manila, have that sort of bachelor approach to housekeeping--basically clean, but not fanatics about it. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened one of the kitchen cupboards and found what looked like sand all over the place! “How did we get muddy sand in the cupboard?” I wondered aloud as I called for the guys to join me. Then, in the midst of all that muddy sand, I saw what looked like pieces of rice running back and forth…termites!! We had been invaded by termites! As we opened cupboard after cupboard, we found they had moved into a number of shelves and were obviously enjoying themselves immensely. So I grabbed the phone and call the termite-folks. Believe me, everyone here in Metro Manila has them on speed-dial! Termites are part of daily life and people just take them in stride. The next morning witnessed the massacre of the visiting termites, but we had no time to mourn, being too busy cleaning up their mess. I was exhausted since I hadn’t slept well the night before, wondering if our newly acquired house was going to collapse around us, having been an all-you-can-eat buffet for the local pests. But thank God, after massive spraying, poking and inspecting, we were declared termite-free, complete with a year’s warranty! But everyday I find myself checking the cupboards, just in case…oh me of little faith!

As if that little adventure into nature wasn’t enough, a few days later I got a text message from Dennis while at still at school. “Dre, we’ve just killed two big snakes in the house…I hope they’re not all over the place.” I didn’t know if I should rush home or just make a reservation at the Hilton Hotel. In fact, they weren’t IN the house, but right outside: two big, long non-poisonous garden snakes. I guess the violent rains had disturbed their homes. Or maybe they were coming to visit the termites? Who knows? Later when I was on the phone telling a friend about our snakes, I saw the hugest hornet ever fly into the room. Making plenty of room for this 747-like creature, I was horrified to see it fly into a clump of mud stuck on the bottom of the jalousie windows!! (Well, I told you our housekeeping isn’t always what it could be!!). It was building it’s home in our home…but there just isn’t enough room for all of us, so summoning up our courage, we knocked the nest, sprayed it wildly with Raid, stomped on it like enraged flamenco dancers from Seville. What a zoo!! And I thought that moving to the big city we’d lose touch with nature!! It’s been like living on the Discovery Channel this last month!! While the Filipinos all tsk-ed and commiserated with our dilemma of finding the snakes, all our Chinese friends immediately congratulated us and told us how very delicious snake soup is!! Still, I’d rather be the one eating the snake than vice-versa!!

Fr. Cyr, our young Congolese confrere, finished his English course and returned to Taiwan to begin his Chinese studies. He made amazing progress in English in such a short time, and if he does the same in Chinese, he’ll be preaching up a storm in Taiwan in no time! Fr. Arinze, our Nigerian confrere studying at Ateneo, joined all of us in our farewell party at the local pizzeria. We already miss Fr. Cyr’s hearty laugh!

Remember how I subtly dropped a hint in an earlier blog page about needing a bicycle for the house? (Okay, so I actually just begged, but you can’t blame me for trying!). Well, nothing happened from the blog, but when I asked some local friends about getting inexpensive bikes, they looked at each other and said they would give us their two bikes for the community!! With the two beautiful bikes in the back of our friends’ pickup truck, we stopped to buy helmets on the way home. Were Dennis, Emboy and Aying happy when we arrived at the door!! What a wonderful surprise and once again we are so touched and blessed by the kindness and generosity of people around us! The bikes have really made things so much easier for the guys; they zip around the neighborhood now in a flash.

We’ve also been busy in our gardens, both the vegetable garden in back and the front garden as well. We’ve planted some flowers in front, a luxury that we’ll enjoy since breakfast and lunch are almost always enjoyed at the outside table. We even entertain friends there, too, since it is naturally cooled by the towering trees and comfortable cross-breeze. Because of the carport roof, even the rain doesn’t disturb us there. I have to admit that some of the plants seem to have a bit of a problem adjusting to the front soil, but we’re patient and busy pruning. These days, God takes care of the watering!

While much of the world has just now begun school, we’re getting ready for the semester to end! Less than a month to go, so you can imagine all the papers, reports, and preparation for final exams. For all of us, students and teacher, it’s a very busy time. Maybe that’s why we especially enjoyed last week’s silent morning recollection, something we aim to have at least once a month. It’s important for us as a Spiritan family to sit quietly with the Lord and each other…and LISTEN!

So as you can see, we’re all doing well, thank God. The guys’ presence at the center for handicapped youth is such a blessing, both for them and for the people there. Emboy has also helped with a few retreats. My classes continue to be a joy and a constant invitation to grow in wisdom and knowledge. I’m always so happy to see our living room filled with young religious, the classmates of Dennis, Emboy and Aying, who come to study with them, or who come just to relax with them. One of their classmates told me he always enjoys coming here because it “feels like home”. That’s the best possible compliment! And our wonderful friends from China, Vietnam, Korea as well as the local crowd, keep us in good spirits and well-fed! Every time Sr. Hai-Xia whips up a delicacy from her hometown in China, she stops by with enough for all of us to enjoy, too!!

September 19^th is the 24^th Anniversary of my ordination to priesthood. What a blessing, what an adventure with the Lord! Thanks for being a part of it all…Oran, Rome, Dubai, Pittsburgh, Iligan, Metro Manila. I can see all your faces…and all your smiles.

Don’t forget you have a standing invitation to come visit. Oh, just one thing…if one of the snakes in the garden tells you to eat from one of our fruit trees, I wouldn’t, if I were you…

May God bless us all!!

Don’t be afraid, just go

2010-08-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

All of us here at the Spiritan House of Studies in Manila have a close relationship with many of the Chinese priests, brothers and sisters who are in Manila studying theology for future ministry in their homeland. As China officially opens more and more to God, the Spirit is blowing gently in so many ways. We are very blessed to know such inspirational people as these young Chinese who are helping the Church rise again after years of suffering and persecution. Chinese Christians are here because they are helped by the knowledge and wisdom of the rest of the Church, and we, the rest of the Church, are helped by the wisdom, courage and dedication of the Church of China. Here below is a sharing of Sister Huang, a delightful young Sister with the voice of an angel. Enjoy and be blessed!!

Don’t be afraid, just go!
By Sr. Huang Qujiao

God wants everyone to be with him and live in His love. Indeed, God is calling us all the time, through the people and things around us: our family, church, society, nature. And he mobilizes and utilizes a variety of environments to cultivate our vocation. So, each of our lives is a journey of a response to God's call. When we respond to Him with all our lives; to do His will with all our hearts, with all our minds, then our lives will become more meaningful, more valuable, and more brilliant, more abundant. As Abraham, Jeremiah, Samuel, Mama Mary, the Apostles responded, so I, too! Today, when I analyze my own vocation, I have also found that God’s calling came to me in my childhood, and He took care of me, gave me a lovely family and lovely community. He is making me grow in my religious life, He is making my vocation story become so special and beautiful!

The Discovery Process of my Vocation
“ Here I am , Lord , for you called me.” (1 Sam 3:5)

I was born a in a Catholic family; my parents gave me the good moral education of a Catholic. Similar to Samuel’s mother, my mother is a devout and pious woman. When I was a little child, my mother taught me about God and Jesus, and taught me how to pray. When I was teenager, my mother always said to me: “The vocation that was chosen by God for you to do God’s will, will be filled with grace and many blessings”. And she also asked me: “When you have grown up, will you be a nun to serve God, like your aunt (who is a nun)? All right?” But I never answered. I disliked following the way of life of my aunt. “That will be very lonely”, I thought. But I have to admit that I respected my aunt so much because she was really a good person and different.

In 1984, when I was 18 years old, my aunt who was a nun died. Many people of our church said: “It is now that our church has just been restored and is in need of people like her and of her service, but now she is dead. And in this new generation there are no young ones who will be willing to choose her way of life and service…” I heard that, and my heart was touched.

During the following year's Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), I met two of my relatives who were working in the city— Zhong Shan of Guangdong. Two of them shared with me what they had experienced of the outside world. “Time and time again, the Bishop, who is very old, asked us, ‘Won’t you dedicate yourselves to God and to spreading the Gospel? You see, we are getting old and it is difficult to walk, and our church needs to have young workers. . . ” They said this with laugher, the other girls who heard also thought it funny. But I kept silent, because this “word” in my mind became a special PICTURE and it made me felt a little sad. After about two months, the PICTURE often came out my mind with the VOICE---“Do you dedicate yourself to God and devote your life to spreading the Gospel?” Again and again it happened. Since then, the VOICE began to disturb my thoughts, and gradually occupied the whole of my heart. For a while I thought that VOICE was threatening the life of my original vision, so I tried to avoid it, but it only became stronger and stronger! And so it even frightened me!

After few months, I went to see my uncle who is a priest, and told him what had happened to me and what I had experienced. Then he taught me about God’s call by saying: “Don’t be afraid! Maybe God is calling you. Now try to focus on this VOICE, and try to answer and say to God: “Here I am, Lord, for you called me.” (1 Sam 3:5) Then I tried to do what my uncle had said. A few weeks later, I realized that it was, in fact, the calling of God. Then I felt something very heavy, very painful!

The Experience of the Rich Young Man.

“Jesus said to the rich young man: ‘Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor,… then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving”. (Mk 10:21-22). It was difficult for this rich young man to give up his own wealth. For me, I was not so rich, so I had no “wealth” to give up, however like the rich young man, I too “was shocked” and wanted to “go away grieving”, because I had already had the vision of my life, and had a very determined pursuit and clear life goals.

I was preparing with great enthusiasm for the future to become a good wife, a good mother! I knew I could be that, I believed I would have a nice family life. And at that time I was operating a small shop, and many elders of my relatives and neighbors believed that I had the talent and qualifications to be successful in business. So when I clearly knew that God was calling me and knew that meant I would have to give up my existing, safe, normal and happy life style, there was a really hard struggle in my inner life. At first I decided to ignore this calling and I tried to change it, even making a special prayer to ask God: “Do not call me to be a nun and I will be a devout Catholic like my mother and I will help my parish every way I can.” But after six months, I found my inner life was very disturbed, as if I were burying a bomb. So then I had to say “Yes” to God. I was very strange, when I decided to respond to God, my heart felt a deep peace, although it still felt heavy and painful!

Go and See , Then , I remained with him on that Day! (John 1: 39)

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said ‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’ The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ (John1:36-39)

At that time I was still anxious because I no idea about congregations of sisters (Where? What? How? ) and I had never been away from my family. But my uncle said to me: “Don’t be afraid, just go. God will show you how to go!” So, like the two disciples of John the Baptist, in a religious environment still mingled with a strong political atmosphere, with the approval of my parents, I followed the guidance of my uncle and went to Guangzhou, (300 kilometers from home) to look for the superior of the Chinese Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. She was 81years old and had lived history, which was what my uncle was referring to when he told me: “She is a true nun. She will teach you how to do well and how to be a good religious.” On September 8, 1987 I met her and “remained with her that day” (John1: 39)—Sep.8, 1987. And I became one of the first group of twelve members after my congregation reopened in the newly found religious freedom of China.

In the journey of my religious life I have encountered many challenges and temptations, but I was and I am still here! For the VOICE has again and again echoed in my heart, again and again called me to go back before the Lord, again and again helped me to overcome the difficulties. Today, when I once again look back my vocational process, I more clearly recognize that this vocation is indeed a great grace from God. It is like the experience of Isaiah: “The Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isa.43:1--3)

The Content of my Vocation

At that time in China, the policy of religious freedom had just been restored and although many churches had been reopened, there were not yet any formal congregations of sisters, just some scattered elderly nuns who had weathered the difficult times. In my congregation also, formation has been halted for 40 years (1947 - 1987). So at that time, our community consisted of an 81 year old superior, and a few sisters over 75 years old, and a decrepit building less than 200 square meters in size!! We had nothing, we were really poor! In this environment, we started the journey of our religious life.

At first, I was educated by my community (1987-1992), learning how to know God’s love and how to experience God’s love and learning the knowledge of basic theology and religious life. I especially learned the way of a truly spiritual life from Mama Mary, her prayer, her contemplation, her service, her chastity, her humility and her obedience. In the second phase (1993 to 1998), I was a formator in my community, and accompanied aspirants and novices. After that, I worked and taught in the catechumen center of my diocese (1999-2002), and later served my congregation as a superior for six years (2002-2008).

My Vocation is Mission! And my missionary content is very simple, it is to tell others ‘God is Love! God loves everyone!’ But I knew that I have no any knowledge for preaching or for explaining it as a Missionary, but I just tried to offer God my daily life and have attempted to do everything with God’s love and according to my congregation’s charism (that is do pastoral work, especially accompanying the people who walk on the journey of the religious life). Like Mama Mary, I just share the Good News with others, looking for what people need and I can do something. I pray with Mama Mary for people’s needs and for mission. So in my personal sense of the system, all of vocations are mission. For each Vocation, life itself is mission! So when I joined religious life, that mission became my lifestyle.

Therefore, missionaries should be able to live in God's love and should be able to love one another in their specific circumstances of life. It will let people see his good deeds and recognize that they are followers of Christ. Over time, this act of benevolence will guide people to know God and find him in Christianity. I strongly believe that even if I just do little things or do nothing, if I am being God’s love and love everyone, I also am on real mission!

Now I am studying in the Institute of Consecrated Life in Asia, and taking a course on Consecrated Life to prepare to walk well in the next journey of my vocation. Even though I am not sure what I will be sent to do next, I am sure that I will be in mission because mission is the basic form of my religious life, it is the content of my vocation. And then, mission also makes my religious life become meaningful and joyful!

I have been walking on the way of a religious vocation for twenty-two (22) years, and although there have been a lot of hardships, difficulties, temptations, struggles and mistakes, I always recall: “ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pasture; He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for God be with me; his rod and his staff—they comfort me.” (Ps 23: 1--4)

I have experienced and recognized what Jesus’ promised: “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, who will not receive a hundredfold in this age, ---- with persecutions.” And I also strongly believe “In the age to come eternal life” will be true! (Mk: 10: 29—30) So, henceforth every day, I will be singing with all my heart and all my soul with Mama Mary, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” (Luke 1:46--48)

Visitors: One Welcomed and One Thrust Upon Us

2010-07-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

We’ve had a couple of first time visitors recently…Fr. Jean-Paul Hoch, C.S.Sp. the Superior General of the Spiritans, and Typhoon Caloy, the first typhoon of the year. Fr. Jean-Paul’s visit was certainly more enjoyable!

Fr. Jean-Paul was in Taiwan for an important general meeting of the Spiritans there, and so while in the “neighborhood” he dropped in on our communities in Vietnam and here, our new home in Metro Manila.

He arrived Monday, June 28^th, with Fr. Cyr to meet the first Filipino Spiritans in history. And he brought news and blessings from the community all over the world. While he was here we shared, prayed, ate, celebrated. We were especially happy to welcome him into our new home, to show him Loyola School of Theology and introduce him to some of Dennis’, Emboy’s, and Aying’s professors and classmates. And we showed him the beauty of Ateneo de Manila University’s campus; introduced him to many of my colleagues in the Theology Department.

Wednesday, June 30th, was an historic moment: the inauguration of the new President of the Republic, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III (himself a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University). Since classes were suspended, we decided to visit the Guanellian Center, the home for mentally and physically handicapped where Dennis, Emboy and Aying help out. As always, it was so touching to see how excited the people there were when we drove up. Everyone wanted to dance for us (to Tagalog rap, no less!)…and then snacks were served. After an enjoyable time with the Servants of Charity, we gave Fr. Jean-Paul the grand tour of historic Manila, Intramuros, the old Spanish walled-in city. The majestic Manila Cathedral, the warm and welcoming Church of St. Augustine and the old Augustinian Monastery which is now a museum, all the sights of old Manila welcomed us. We even passed through Chinatown on the way to a Filipino restaurant where we were joined by many of our closest friends, including our Board of Advisors which has been of such invaluable help in these early and often difficult and uncertain days of our settling here. The only thing better than the food was the wonderful company. One big family. Everyone was so happy to meet Jean-Paul, and he so happy to meet them. What more could we ask for? Later, in the quiet of the evening, we watched the replay of the inauguration and celebrations in the comfort of our home.

Not long after Fr. Jean-Paul left, Typhoon Caloy blew in. For months and months after we first moved into this house I had to call the roofers again and again to come and fix the leaks. They finally had to replace the whole outer roof!! And so now that we finally have a fine roof, Typhoon Caloy came along and threw two of the neighbors’ trees on it!!! Around 3:00am, while the whole city was placed on Storm Signal 2 of the typhoon, I thought a truck landed on the roof! I grabbed a flashlight and went out in the wild and furious wind and rain, only to see two trees had been blown over. While their bottoms were in the neighbors’ land, their tops were firmly planted on our roof!! Don’t ask me how, but the other guys slept soundly through what sounded like the Normandy Invasion. By then the electricity was already out all over the city, and we would remain without electricity for two more days. In the morning light we could see that trees ripped from their roots and signs torn from their posts littered the neighborhood. Some 68 people died in the storm, and some 90 are still unaccounted for. But the next morning, with typical Filipino resilience, people were out picking up the pieces and moving on to the new day. Our guys got on the roof with machetes and axes and made kindling of the fallen trees while I was the cheering section on the ground floor! All the schools were closed, so it gave us the day to clean up the evidence of Typhoon Caloy’s fury. It’s typhoon season, and another is already predicted to land within two weeks. I’m just hoping the trees stay where they are planted! And yesterday I bought two more emergency lanterns.

Fr. Jean-Paul has come, so has Typhoon Caloy. What about you?? Unlike the typhoons, you’re always welcomed!! We really enjoy visitors. We’re all doing well and keeping busy with classes. I’m still teaching Intro Theology Courses during the week, while being a student of Mandarin on Saturdays. In addition to their studies, Dennis, with the help of Emboy and Aying, harvested our mango trees and made over 125 jars of our delicious and now famous mango jam, most of which we managed to sell!! We even have some orders for Christmas!!

We’re trying to save up for Spiritan Basketball uniforms, and we want to get a couple of bikes for the house. Say, if you want, you can sponsor the uniforms and then we can put your company’s name on the back of the shirt so you can write it off as a business expense!! It’ll say “Spiritans” on the front, and something like “Eat at Joe’s” on the back!! So what do you think? Who wants to chip in?? (Hey, I’m from Brooklyn, you can’t blame me for trying!!)

May God continue to bless us all!! Know that you are in our prayers every day, as we always lift up to the Lord all our family and friends at daily Eucharist. Keep in touch! God bless!