“I didn’t experience your caress when I was little because you left me on day one, and even up to now,” writes one student at a workshop on dealing with loneliness for children of Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). “But I am really longing for that time when you come home,” “and “hopefully when that time comes, I would know what it feels like to be hugged by my real mom.”
American Jesuit scholastic David Romero began his Regency in the Philippines, working with Casa Bayanihan and living in the Arrupe International Residence where the community comprises Jesuits of 15 nationalities. His year in AIR left him with a profound sense of gratitude to God for giving him and the others in the community the chance to share their lives together and for what he has learned from these relationships.
A new programme designed to foster understanding of Indigenous Peoples and their culture among Christian religious and laity was formally launched in April in the Philippines. The first Asia Pacific Contextual Theology Program for Engagement Project (ACOTEP) was held from April 6 to 20 in Bukidnon, after a pilot run in Bendum and Zamboanguita, Bukidnon last year.
Ten tertians from nine provinces recently completed the 2014-2015 Asia Pacific Tertianship in Manila. For six months, from September 7, 2014 to March 6, 2015, the tertians were engaged in ministries, chosen with the guidance of their spiritual directors. These were varied and included working in prisons, migrant service, orphanages, parishes, high schools, hospitals, and with indigenous people’s ministry.
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), the social justice arm of the Philippine Jesuit Province marked 29 years of service to the Church and the Filipino nation recently with a week-long celebration themed “Renewing a Faith that does Justice”.
Over the years, SLB has evolved and developed programs in response to the needs of Philippine society, and the celebration from February 21 to March 1 was an opportunity to showcase current programs and introduce new ones.
There is an increasing focus on disaster preparedness in the Philippines, although this is happening at different levels. The general public is learning how to use the available technologies for monitoring hazards and to understand the language used. Many communities are also focused on evacuation strategies and on identifying safe centres that can be used in the event of a disaster.
The album produced by the Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM) for the Philippine Papal Visit made it to the top 10 of the Original Pinoy Music (OPM) charts in January. This is the first time a JMM album has reached the top 10. “Mercy and Compassion: Songs for Pope Francis” landed in the second spot of the OPM list and in the third spot of the Overall best-selling albums for the fourth week of January.
A copy of the album was presented to Pope Francis when he met with Jesuits in the Philippines on January 16.
Anticipation was high as the Philippines awaited Pope Francis’ visit to the country from January 15 to 19, 2015. For weeks before the Pope’s arrival, national media discussed the importance of the papal visit and a 1,000-member choir practised new hymns specially composed for the closing mass by Fr Manoling Francisco SJ.
Although Typhoon Hagupit – known as Ruby in the Philippines – is reported to have taken only a handful of lives, for thousands of people in the country, it was still a sort of repeat of Typhoon Haiyan, which had torn through the Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,000 dead or missing. “It’s déjà vu, but not the same as last year with Haiyan,” a Tacloban resident Mariano Tan Jr told the BBC.
Students from six Jesuit universities in Asia recently spent three weeks dialoguing and working with the Xavier Ecoville community. Xavier Ecoville arose from the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi). After the storm, Xavier University together with the city government led the relocation and rehabilitation of affected families on a plot of land donated by Xavier University.