How time really flies! Since being ordained about two and a half years ago many things have happened. As I understand, all of us have more or less finished our language studies and are now in the thick of mission work. Anyway, I have tried to compile where everybody are now. So classmates, if there are any mistakes from my entries, please don't hesistate to revise the entries. Fr. Sam - Rome (Studies - Missiology) Fr. Arvs - Rome (Studies - Biblical Theology) Fr. Jun B - Manila (Studies - Accountancy: Ateneo de Manila) Fr. Ferdz - Taipei (Studies - Fu Jen University: Mandarin) Bro. Miloy - Nagoya (Studies - Nanzan University: Nippongo) Fr. Leo - Divine Word College of Calapan (Calapan City, Or. Mindoro): Campus Minister Fr. Judy - St. Therese Chinese Parish (Dagupan City, Pangasinan): Asst. Parish Priest Fr. Lorz - Holy Trinity Parish (Dapinglin, Xindian City, Taipei): Asst. Parish Priest Fr. Jeff - Parr. Santa Cruz (Yagavila, Oaxaca, Mexico): Vocation Promoter Fr. Elmer - St. Patrick's Parish (Wainuiomata, Wellington, New Zealand): Parish Priest Fr. Jovs - Lisbon, Portugal: Filipino Chaplain Fr. Dikz - Parroise St. Pierre (Kikwit, DR Congo): Parochial Vicar, Treasurer Fr. Noi - Mission Beno (Bandundu, DR Congo): Asst. Parish Priest, Procurator Fr. Ian - Parr. Ntra. Sra. Nueva Pompeya (Santa Fe, Argentina): Asst. Parish Priest So please continue to pray for the YOBEL class as we continue to spread the Good News to different parts of the world. Thanks a lot! To be honest, it took me quite some time what the "apostolate of presence" really mean. I have heard from many missionaries who pass by our seminary in Tagaytay and tell their stories and how important is the apostolate of presence. And it took me to be here in New Zealand to really experience how does the "apostolate of presence" works. New Zealand only has about 470,000 Catholics or 12.05% of the population. Among those who are Catholics only about a third go regularly to church and it might be even less. In the Philippines which has so many Catholics, a priest can be so absorbed with the demands for the sacraments, like masses, baptisms, marriages and house blessings and the like. Here these are very rare. As for my experience, I would only have a single mass on a weekday or sometimes none if Fr. Ben, the assistant parish priest would celebrate and I'll just attend with the community. And on weekends, I may have 2 masses here in the parish and another one if there's a Filipino mass if the chaplain is not around. Baptisms, only about once in two weeks and about marriages? Ha ha ha! I only had 3 since I arrived! One was just a wedding service, one a nuptial mass and the other is a renewal of vows. Funerals about twice a month. So people especially from the Philippines would ask me, why still be there? There's heaps of demand for priest here. Well, I have given it a thought and I think it is because of the "apostolate of presence". For me the apostolate of presence is being in the parish because the people would be confident that whenever they need something from the church, a priest would be there. For the priest to be a witness to the gospel of Christ by not just being a sacramental minister but by just being a person living out the gospel values. Is it difficult? In a way, it is unique. It is not like being called always for requests for funeral masses, baptisms and house blessings. If you'll measure your priesthood by being busy in the sacraments, it would never work here in New Zealand. But by being faithful to one's vocation and living a life that is Christ-like is I think what it means when we talk about apostolate of presence. While I was visiting our parish school, a boy was calling me "Jesus". I smiled and told him that my name is Elmer and not Jesus. However, I realised that for children, seeing a priest was the closest thing to seeing Jesus. And frankly, its quite scary because I'm so unworthy. But, the challenge remains for me to do my best to be a witness to Christ. Earlier this morning while I was on my way to our Filipino Mass, I saw my friends from the Philippine Embassy doing a reach-out in order to register as many Filipinos as possible for the upcoming 2010 National Elections. I joked with one of the consuls asking her if its really worthwhile of what we're doing. Because I now doubt if there's any elections at all. The way the House of Representatives was so determined to have it their way in approving a resolution calling for a Constituent Assembly (Con-ass). It really sucks! After the Filipino Mass I have a friend and we shared a little reflection. "Bakit nga kaya ang mga Pinoy ay pupunta dito sa New Zealand kung matino at maunlad ang Pilipinas?" and I said, "Oo nga no. Bakit ba naman magtitiis tayo sa lamig, at malalayo sa mga kamag-anak kung matino ang Pilipinas?" and he said, "I agree, bakit tayo magtitiis na maging 2nd class citizen dito sa New Zealand kung dito kahit na 2nd class tayo ay maginhawa ang buhay kaysa sa Pilipinas." I'm very sad that in the Philippines, the elections are not a matter of choosing for a better future, its a fight for people to have their turn to corrupt and enrich themselves. Its a matter of "Tama na, kami naman." We may want to curse GMA for being corrupt and want to perpetuate herself longer into power but what are the chances that we'll have somebody better than her. Are there any assurance that we'll get somebody better? Don't get me wrong. I registered myself so that I can vote for the 2010 elections. I still believe in our electoral system. At least we still have something than none at all. There are still many countries who are worse than us politically but I'm very saddened about what is happening to us. I don't wonder that so many Filipinos go here because they are just so fed up with what is happening there. I have a friend who used to work in the Senate there and that's also her reason of coming here to New Zealand. She's just got fed up with our political system. When will our politicians realise this? The recession here in New Zealand has put some people in very difficult situations. And here there was a case involving Filipinos which are burning the headlines here in Wellington. In New Plymouth, a city north of Wellington, a company hired 6 Filipino welders. However, because of the recession he has to place some people into redundancy (early retirement). The people he has put into redundancy are Kiwis (New Zealanders) but he has decided to retain the Filipino welders. The government stepped in and said that they will not renew the Working Visas of these Filipinos and encouraged companies to retain Kiwis instead of the non-Kiwis. On the side of the employer, he has the right to retain the services of the Filipinos maybe because of their skill at work. However, the government also has the right to protect its own citizens and putting them first before migrant workers. Its really a sticky situation. Don't worry, I'm not being put into redundancy as there are still very few vocations here for the priesthood. Eventhough, we are really praying that the number of vocations here would increase. I hope you would reply to this blog and I would like to get your opinion on this situation. The issue here is still burning because this is government policy and its impact would not only be for Filipinos but to all migrant workers here in New Zealand. Thanks. God bless. Always, Elmer I. Life seems to have full of challenges. However, I would like to see it as a spice of life. Without these, life may seem to be so dull. He he he! This afternoon, after a meeting with Arbp. John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington. He appointed me to be the parish priest of St. Patrick's Parish here in Wainuiomata, Wellington effective May 1 with a tentative installation date of May 3. Ever since I got this assignment to work here in New Zealand, I know that this would happen sooner or later. After a year here in the parish by the time of my installation I could just hope that the year's experience as an assistant would prepare me for the task ahead. Honestly, I really thought I could get exempt of being "PP" because of my earlier appointment of being a Sacramental Minister of the parishes of Petone, Waiwhetu (pronounced WAI-fe-too) and Eastborne. However, the provincial council decided that this task would be given to our newly ordained SVD priest and I would be "PP" here in Wainui. Anyway, I really feel that I would become PP sooner or later. I'm writing this blog to update you of what is happening to me and also to solicit prayers for this new challenge. What I want is that the Lord would help me to become faithful to this task. As Blessed Theresa of Calcutta said, "We are called not become successful but to become faithful." God bless. Always, Elmer I. I just finished a week-long conference of Pastoral Planners from Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. I left the conference with a sense of more knowledge of what it is to be a church in Oceania or more specifically in the Archdiocese of Wellington. The Archdiocese is spearheading a model where parishes are clumped together as a Pastoral Area and where a parish don't have a resident parish priest, a Lay Pastoral Leader is appointed. Lay Pastoral Leaders are like parish priests except that they cannot do any sacramental work like Mass, Baptism, Weddings, Reconciliation and others. However, they function like a parish priest in terms of administration issues like planning, supervising and maintenance of the parish church and like what any other parish priest would do. If the parish would need anything sacramental, the pastoral leader would contact the parish priest of the nearby parish or a sacramental minister, who usually is a retired parish priest. This model of being a parish is still in its infancy stage here in Wellington. I believe because of the shortage of priests here that is why the Archdiocese devised a model to cope with this very difficult problem. As a priest ministering here in Wellington, I have the following observations. First, the priest would not be overburdened because he would only be asked to be a parish priest in one parish and a sacramental minister in another. Second, the parish is now less "priest-centered" because I believe that the church is actually the people. The priest's role is very essential but the church should not be centered on him. Third, you are encouraging more opportunities for lay people to be more involved in the running of a parish. However, I can also see some drawbacks, First, it may be expensive. To employ a Lay Pastoral Leader, the church would have to invest with his/her formation that would include attendance at retreats, recollections, spiritual direction and more importantly education. The Lay Pastoral Leader should complete all these requirements in four to seven years. This could only be done part-time since most Lay Pastoral Leaders have families of their own to attend to. Then once a Lay Pastoral Leader is appointed, he/she is employed by the Archdiocese and receives a salary. He/She would be doing work that a priest would usually do for FREE. Second, the acceptability of a Lay Pastoral Leader in a community. Many people are still struggling to accept Lay Pastoral Leaders. Many parishioners would still prefer to have a priest because many view Lay Pastoral Leaders as people only doing a JOB. Priests in their view still has that sense of deep spirituality which many people still acknowledge and respect. Third, this might lead to a crisis on how a priest would see himself. Is he a priest that is only limited to sacramental duties? How would a priest see his vocation in this situation? I won't be surprised if there are priests who might be disillussioned when faced with this situation. I asked a Lay Pastoral Leader if she thinks that there will come a time that there won't be a need for priests because of their presense. She said that priests would still be needed and a pastoral area won't do without a priest. There are just things that because of Canon Law and other prohibitions that the Lay Pastoral Leader cannot do. I consider the Archdiocese of Wellington led by Most Rev. John Dew and Cardinal Tom Williams very progressive even revolutionary. In an age where married clergy, women clergy and many other things are not yet allowed by the Vatican, Lay Pastoral Leaders maybe one of the solutions to this problem. In the Philippines, the idea of Lay Pastoral Leaders taking over parishes is still unthinkable. However, if the current trend continues sooner or later we would have to deal with this issue. If you have reached this far in reading my blog, CONGRATULATIONS! However, I would still want you to react to this blog and I would solicit your ideas on this. Thanks. God bless. Always, Elmer I. This is dedicated to my XVD friends: We usually receive a booklet entitled, "In Dialogue with the World", a booklet published by the SVD Generalate in Rome and for the December 2008 No. 8 issue, the theme was "SVD-LAITY Mission Partnership. It features a survey on how the laity collaborates with the SVD in various projects. Among the many lay groups associated with the SVD, the booklet featured 22 of these groups from all over the world and the XVD Association was features as one of the two lay groups in the Philippines, the other one is the SVD Friends. God bless the XVD foundation and more power! The following the complete version of the article featured in Dec 2008 edition of the "In Dialogue with the World" PHC - XVD ASSOCIATION History Even after Vatical Council II the popular stigma (in Catholic Philippines) against anyone who had left the priesthood or religious life was lingering on. For this reason even ex-seminarians shied away from the school where they may have partly grown up during their youth. In early 1970s Fr. Michael Padua, then rector of Christ the King Minor Seminary, began inviting ex-seminarians to feel free to visit their former classmates, teachers or formators. He even allowed those living in the Metro Manila area to play in the basketball courts or swimming pool of the seminary at times that would not disrupt the seminary routine. Soon those who frequented the seminary for play decided to organize themselves also for prayer (masses, spiritual talks, recollections). Later they began modest projects of social charity for the poor and the needy at their voluntary expense and service. In the 1990s Fr. Agerico Orbos, then mission secretary of the Philippine Central Province, began relying partly on their help for mission animation. Mission Outreach The XVD Association is an alumni group of former students, ex-brothers and ex-priests that have gone through religious formation in Christ the King Minor Seminary (Quezon City) and/or Divine Word Major Seminary (Tagaytay City). Out of gratitude for the integral human formation they received from the Society during their youth, they envision their mission outreach as a double movement: - 'paying back' - by donating or fundraising for the financial needs of their twin alma mater (the aforesaid minor and major seminaries), as well as the Villa Cristo Rey (retirement home of elderly confreres from the three Philippine SVD provinces); - 'paying forward' - by supporting Filipino SVDs at work in foreign missions with prayers and donations, and by carrying out social apostolates of their own in preferential option for the poor and marginalized in the country. Organization The XVD Association is a 'cyber-member' of PAXLink International (see PAX SVD). The association counts about 80 members (excluding wives and children who take part in major activities). They hold: - monthly meetings for common mass, meal, and mission talk (if a foreign missionary on home leave is around); - quarterly weekend retreats for members and their families; - annual convention - during which they elect a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and auditor to serve for a year. These regular activities are funded through membership fees, monthly dues, and occasional soliciting. To fund their social apostolates they have founded and maintain a cooperative named XVD Foundation. During my vacation just a few weeks ago, I made it a point that I would spend most of my vacation to watch the Australian Open 2009. Since my seminary days, I have watched it in our TV room together with many others. So when I have the chance to be there and watched it directly at Melbourne Park, I thought I was really blessed. This year, I grabbed the opportunity and bought a 5 day ground pass which was a very resonable buy. As I have watched and sunburned myself and got nearly dehydrated from watching world-class tennis I have realised that we can truly make it in this sport. Tennis is not merely a sport about height, eventhough tall players can have an advantage but even small players can compete and actually win. As I was on the last day of my five-day ground pass, I was pleasantly surprised that there is a Filipino entry playing in the Junior Boys' tournament. (Yes, the Australian Open is not only the Singles competition, but it also includes the Legends, the Juniors and even two wheelchair competitions). His name is Francis Casey Alcantara from Cagayan de Oro, eventhough he lost his singles tournament, he won the Junior Boys' Doubles competition with his partner Taiwanese Cheng-Peng Hsieh. He is the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam title. And this fact made me to think, why are we Filipinos so crazy about basketball, a sport that we've been trying for many years now but still fail to win in Asian tournaments like the Asian Games and the Asian Olympic qualifier. I think we just have to accept that basketball would just remain a backyard game for us. Because even if we make some breakthroughs, other countries are also catching up because basketball has become very competitive on the world stage. I love basketball, in fact this is one sport that I miss since coming here to Australia/NZ. However, I think we need to put our resources to other sports where can compete on the world stage if we really want to be recognized. It is sad that until now we haven't won a single gold medal in the Olympic games and it was in 1996 since we last won a medal. If we really wanted to be there. Hi there! I was quite stuck with so many invitations during the holidays. It took me some time to compose another blog. Anyway, here it is. Today marks what I consider a life-turning event. And that is the day I left Manila for Sydney for my foreign mission. How can I forget that day, when after seeing most of my classmates go for their mission areas, I said to myself, "Well I suppose that I'll be the last one to go." and it did happen that way. Eventhough officially Leo was the last one to go for his mission to Africa, he already left days before for a "mini-mission" to Hongkong. It was a bitter-sweet moment as I recall, my family and my friends were there to see me go. I made a frantic effort to call and say goodbye to as many friends as possible and also to consume my Globe pre-paid load before I head of to Sydney. Well, that was one year ago. Since then, so many things have happened. The day I arrived in Sydney, I tried to cover as much land as I can to see and soak in all the sights like the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. I took a one-month inculturation course in Geelong, a city south of Melbourne. During which, I watched my first Australian Open. Then I went on a city hopping spree. Trying to know as much as the SVD mission in Australia as I can. I was in Melbourne, Sydney & Wellington until I finally settled down in St. Patrick's Parish here in Wainuiomata in Wellington, New Zealand. During that one year, there were some wonderful moments, inspiring moments, some moment when I looked like a bumbling idiot (read my previous blogs), but everything a learning moment. As I face a new year, there will be lots of challenges still. So many things to learn about being a Kiwi (New Zealander) and more of those humbling experiences. However, what I can say is that my first year was indeed a ride. Hope God would make my second year a less bumpy one. Hi there again! Don't get me wrong. This is not another topic to where we lash out again and cry of where our country is going. Eventhough, the recent developments in our country is far from being inspirational for us who are living outside of it. Ever since I have moved to this side of the world, there is one thing that I can't put my head into. During the first month after I arrived in Sydney, I was undergoing this one month inculturation course. Then I was watching the evening news and I was shocked to hear about this old woman who was found dead in her house. It really wasn't anything away from the normal that it would hit the evening news but what was shocking is that she was discovered 3 months after her death! And now as an Assistant Priest here in Wellington, I go from house to house of sick, old, and most of the time lonely people living by themselves. Actually as I'm writing this, there was a woman whom we regularly visit was just sent to a rest home. She has cancer and she's been struggling for months now but she fell and got injured and she can stand up. And because she was on her own in the house except for the occassional visitor like her family, they decided to put her on her rest home, where she will be there and most probably stay there until she goes to meet our Creator. The sad thing about this is that, this culture seems so different from ours on this aspect. I have asked some of the people I visit and their reply is that it is unthinkable for them to stay in the house of their sons or daughters or to have them at their house all the time because they also have a life to live so they would try as long as they can to remain independent and they would not want to be a bother to anyone. At this point, I don't and will not judge whether their attitude about independence is right or wrong. I think it is just part of who they are and I just have to respect that. However, for me it is quite disturbing. For me, it is unthinkable that I'll leave my 80 year old mother or father alone in the house with only the occassional caregive coming every now and then and since she can't cook, a car that they call "meals on wheels" would come over and just in case something happens they would press a button to alert the ambulance and that is if they were still conscious enough to do it. I think it is just one of those things that I must get used to and do the best that I can to do my apostolate. Please continue to pray for these people because they can really get lonely and depressed. May God bless us all. I have received an e-mail from a friend of mine who is also a missionary and it was about a Korean woman who wrote an essay about patriotism and how Korea has bounced back from a very backward country especially after the Korean War to an economic power. It's quite long but I hope you have time to read it. The message goes:
As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently
studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees
and learn English at the same time.
This is an essay written by a Korean student.
(Never mind the grammar; it's the CONTENT that counts) Maybe it is timely to
think about this in the midst of all the confusion at present.
MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim
Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines . Do you really think that corruption is the big problem in the Philippines ? I don't think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines. Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest country in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was
destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.
Koreans used to talk about the Philippines , for Filipinos were very rich in Asia . We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine.
Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.
Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.
40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investor because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.
In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money... Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park . They asked to him, 'President, when can we be well off?' That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well
off if everyone works hard for Korea , and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea . He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.
Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off... Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well
off country.
My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood. Have you cried for the
Philippines ? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines .
Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their
profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.
When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines , I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines . Street kids always make me sad, and I see
them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.
My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pagsanjan Falls , I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a
boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them. My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to
mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action.
She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God, so that the Philippines will be well off.
I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.
I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes
possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.
Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do unto Him. In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that God also will be very happy if
you love others.
That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.
(FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY PLEASE PASS
THIS MESSAGE TO OUR FELLOW FILIPINOS) When I have learned that my first assignment was Australia province, I was really delighted. For me, I would experience something really great because I'll be living in one of the biggest countries in the world, in fact it is actually a continent. I would be living with some semblance of comfort because it is a "first world" country. However, when my confreres see me and I tell them that my mission assignment is Australia, not a few would take a stern look at me and ask, "What are you going to do there? Isn't Australia a developed country and a Christian country that doesn't need evangelising anymore. There is much work here in Philippines and the demand of priests here are great also why do there anyway?" Our professor in Missiology has taught us that gone were the days romantic ideas about mission where we have to go to places that we would have trouble finding them in the map. Or cross over difficult terrain like deserts, jungles, mountains and go to some exotic tribe to proclaim Christ there. Eventhough I would say that this still holds true until now and there are still places where Christ still isn't proclaimed. But nowadays evangelising is situational. Where Christ is not present anymore even if that would be a sprawling city or in first world countries where Christ doesn't exists their consciousness anymore, Christ must be proclaimed. In my few months here in Australia & New Zealand, Christianity is becoming a difficulty here. In New Zealand, while the number of Catholics are on the rise, the number of atheists and agnostics here are also on the rise. I was quite shocked when I read an article here that one in three Kiwis do not believe in God anymore. I have even heard that the Prime Minister himself of New Zealand do not believe in God also. For us Filipinos this is quite difficult to comprehend because of the situation of Christianity in our country. Many still believe in the existence of God eventhough a vast majority of us are only nominal Catholics but here people openly express that they are atheists and it does not bother them. For many people here, since they have everything God is not relevant anymore. For them doing good things to your neighbour is enough. And many believe that after this life there is nothing so why do we hope in God. And still to other people, they just simply don't care. This is the situation that we are facing. I believe that it is easier to preach Christ to people that don't know him than to people who already knew Jesus Christ but they just consciously disregard him and make him irrelevant in their daily lives. Priests and religious who have been dragged into sex scandals also don't help our cause. Now there is a renewed call to become effective witnesses for Christ. Many people not take seriously our evangelising of presence, but for the people here this is a lot. To make people see that Christ is in us is really difficult. In order to proclaim Christ here, it is not enough to go to the lectern and give good homilies (and if that is not difficult enough) but people here are expecting that Christ should be seen in priests. It should reflect in our lives and our we conduct ourselves in daily living. People here are looking for that sense of sincerity and authenticity. It is in this way that I think people may hopefully be persuaded and come back. Also, the number of young people coming to church is going down. The culture here dictates that a person once reaching the age of 18 is expected to move out of the parent's house. And most of the time, since they are now on their own, parents can no longer influence them in going to church. So now there are two forces pulling the church here, one that caters to the very traditional parishioners and the other that tries to attract the youth and young adults. It is difficult but this is the challenge, if we are to believe that the church would continue to go on and be vibrant. So please continue to pray for our mission in this part of the world. I believe that missionaries here are needed as in every part of the world. Life here maybe comfortable here materially but the challenges of being a witness of Christ here is as great as anywhere in the world where Christ has to be proclaimed. After getting some responses on my last blog and a significant number of people reading it, I think it is about time that I have to put in my thoughts also about the issue. One thing that I think we have to admit is that we maybe religious but not necessarily spiritual. What I mean is that we are fond of attending various religious activities like masses, novena, pilgrimages, way of the cross, rosaries, be a member of various religious organizations like Catholic Women's League, Legion of Mary, Apostleship of Prayer, etc. But once we leave the premises of the church, we tend to be a totally different person altogether. While we may be prayerful, still we do our daily business without even the slightest consideration of Christian values that we are supposed to uphold as Christians and more importantly as Catholics. While we are taught to respect the rights of others, we buy votes, cheat during elections, fail to become advocates of the poor. While we are taught to uphold integrity as a value, we resort to compromises, graft and corruption, and many other things. It is sad to note that many of the politicians that we consider as corrupt are products of good and reputable Catholic schools. While I was tracking down the result of the UAAP finals between Ateneo de Manila & De La Salle University, I was appalled at the incident that during the bonfire victory celebration of Ateneo, the wood that was burned during the bonfire, names of the La Salle players including the coach were etched or written on the logs. And considering that this is only a basketball games shows how students and/or alumni treat the Christian values they are being taught and how they apply or rather how they not apply it in their lives. If this is what they do in a basketball game just imagine how they fair out when they are in positions of power. New Zealand society may not be perfect or should I say far from it but at least God is present not only in churches but in their national anthem ("God defend New Zealand"). Or how in all the coins and paper money of the United States that the words "In God we trust" is engraved. Curiously, our paper bills and coins do not contain any explicit image or portrait of the Divine. The closest we've ever had was the Barasoain Church on the 10-peso note and this is because it is there where the Malolos constitution was drafted and even the 10-peso not today is now out of circulation. What I have presented is only one reason that in my opinion that is why our country is where it is as of the moment. I'm not suggesting that we suddenly put images of crosses on our currency or replace the image of Ninoy Aquino with the face of Jesus Christ, I only wanted to point out how we have dichotomize our life inside the Church and our life outside of it. This is only one opinion to respond to the question I have posed some months ago. I sincerely believe that if we live out the values of Christ like honesty, integrity, humility, generosity and others, we could be in a better state. You may have other ideas or you may even refute what I have written but certainly you are free to put your COMMENTS below. I hope this blog would make you to think about our beloved country. I have heard that Labour Weekend is really something here in New Zealand. And everybody is looking forward for this long weekend. It is a time to go on holiday, take a rest, be with your family for some bonding and a time to get out of the city and go to the country to relax. Last Monday, I realized this when I went out for a walk and it was incredibly quiet around this part of Wellington. Which made me think of what is Labour Day back in Manila. I just got used of rallies, protests, calling for another wage increase, calling GMA to resign (burning her effigy, burning the American flag, etc.) and I could go on and on and on...so being here and celebrating my first Labour Day in Wellington is really sureal to me. It is not that Kiwis are not allowed to protest, they have done so several times and I found their style pretty amusing. When truck drivers wanted to protest the tax that is about to levied on them for using the motorway, they agreed that all trucks would move to all major cities (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin) running on caravan to the motorway and to the city's CBD (Commercial Business District) with a speed of 10kph in a road which allows upto 100kph. And they have not violated any law! I think that workers' rights are being respected and all are given equal opportunity and are very well compensated for the work that they have done. However, I do admit that life also here is hard but there is a sense of unity and instead of whining they want to pull themselves together to weather this financial storm. This maybe the reason why so many people would want to immigrate here in New Zealand. They would simply have more opportunity and better compensated for the work that they would do. However, it is quite sad that to immigrate here is also very humbling. I just wonder how many people who have very respectable jobs in our country (teachers, engineers, etc.) and they would accept menial jobs like fruit picking, nursing orderlies, bee farming, factory work, etc. But because it is high paying so they would have it that way. Well that is the reality of life here. However now with the financial crisis, various governments are considering to be strict in allowing immigrants in because they would want to give jobs first to their citizens. So I think we should also pull our acts together because it is really a shame that our best citizens are moving out of the country because they are not well compensated and many various issues like poverty, graft and corruption, discontent, demoralization, etc. I hope that the day will come that Labour Day in the Philippines would be celebrated as a day to honour the dignity of the workers and labour itself. Not a day where it is marked with violence and discontent. Something we have to do because the Lord honoured work. A day that would give labourers a break and make them realize that this day is for them and feel that their work is important to the country. I do not know the answer but I hope we can do something about it. Ever since I arrived in Sydney, my horizon about the world has changed. I was happy that I was given this opportunity. In one of my more contemplative moments, I started wondering about our country compared to other "First World" countries like Australia & New Zealand. I was thinking why at least in terms of economic prosperity, Australia & New Zealand are quite properous materially compared to the Philippines. There are lots of reasons of course. Remember that Australia & New Zealand were former colonies of Great Britain and until now their head of state is still Queen Elizabeth II. We were also a colony of Spain, the United States and for a short time by Japan. Australia & New New Zealand are also hit by various natural calamities. New Zealand are sometimes hit by excessive rains and also by droughts. Australia except for the coasts is a virtual desert with very few water except for the rare thunderstorm. We are also hit by typhoons every year. Politics here is also as worse with all the mud-slinging that is happening as in the Philippines. I can go on and on but what I hope to get is an EXTENSIVE answer to this question: What do you think Australia & New Zealand and other "First World" countries has that we haven't that is why they are experiencing such economic prosperity or what do the Philippines have that we must get rid of so that we can recover from the poverty that we are experiencing. I would just like to limit the discussion about purely material or economic prosperity or the lack of it. This is not to say that Australia & New Zealand are better than the Philippines. There are also aspects that we are better than them but material prosperity is something that is wanting in our country that is why there are so many Filipinos here to send money to support their families back home. I hope you would respond to this question so that we could introspect and learn more about who we are as a people. Thanks. Hi everyone! Just arrived from the retreat at the El Rancho Christian Holiday Centre. I'm very refreshed from the 5-day retreat. The atmosphere was very relaxed and helpful for me. The retreat was for the Archdiocese of Wellington & the Diocese of Palmerston North, just north of Wellington. The retreat was attended by 3 bishops and about 50 priests. The retreat was conducted by Fr. Justin Taylor, SM. He is a Biblical Exegete and professor at the Ecole Biblique archelogique francaise de Jerusalem. He gave us a meaningful and practical exegesis of the Book of Acts chapters 1-4. Also an exegesis of First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians which was the First reading throughout the week. He did his exegesis during the homilies of the retreat. Since I'm very much into the Biblical Apostolate, it was certainly a treat and a good source of materials for me here which I can certainly use in the future. The schedule of the retreat was very light. It begins with Breakfast at 7:30; Morning Prayer at 9 then the First Session at 9:20-10:15. Then there is time for personal reflection until 12:15. Then lunch at 12:15 and another time for personal reflection until 3:45, when the Second Session commences. Afternoon tea at 4:30 and Celebration of the Eucharist at 5pm after which Dinner at 5:45. Then we have the Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament at 7pm and the day is concluded by a Night Prayer at 8pm. The retreat also gave me the opportunity to meet my brother-priests in the Dioceses of Wellington & Palmerston North. I also admire the demeanor of the bishops as they treated there as just "one of the boys". During Reconciliation night which replaces the Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament last Wednesday night, they just came to the confessors there and did their Reconciliation. However, a grim reality dawned on me at that retreat. Among the almost 50 participants, only about a third of us are aged 65 and under. The number of younger priests cannot cope up with the number of priests who would soon be retiring a few years from now. There is a dire need of new and younger priests to replace the retiring ones. The retreat was really a treat for me. It was my first in this part of the world and as a priest. I look forward for next year when they are planning to invite our very own Fr. John Fullenbach, as speaker for the inputs for the retreat. Thanks for those who prayed for me for the success of my retreat. You are all remembered. Thanks again. God bless. Always, Elmer I. This week has been a very busy week for me. I had my first two funerals here in the parish. I realized that here Funerals are very special occasions. I have to go to the family twice to arrange the Funeral liturgy. Here in the Funeral liturgy, the family has a say on how the funeral mass would be conducted. We have to show them the options that they have and that includes the readings for the mass and also whatever they wanted to include in the mass like Eulogies, Special Music, etc. In the liturgy, we have a adapted a policy of trying to accomodate any request of the family. Since it is a very special occasion, we would like to be open to all possibilities and to be as welcoming as possible, since here in New Zealand, Catholics are in the minority, we would want to present that we Catholics are very welcoming and accomodating. But sometimes, I find it quite strange about some things that have happened in the two funerals that I have presided. Last Monday, we celebrated a funeral of a sister of a parishoner that have died in Germany but the family wanted her to be buried here in NZ so before burying we had a Funeral Mass for her done. Everything seemed to worked out fine until the Eulogy part after Communion. Her brother who led the Eulogies requested that since her sister loved Kenya so much because she was there for a long time, asked us that we stand as the NATIONAL ANTHEM OF KENYA IS BEING PLAYED! Well, I was quite startled and very much surprised from my chair, however, I tried not to show it. They also played some folk songs from Kenya and other things that are Kenyan. Anyway, I was relieved that those attended the funeral really appreciated the service. I think they really do it this way here. Another incident happened when I presided another funeral mass yesterday (Thursday), I was informed that the family wanted to play three songs during the mass because according to them they were the favorite songs of the one who passed away. At first, the mass went on well. Then as we have agreed, after my homily the family would like to play a song in order to help us reflect. So at the end of my homily, I told the congregation to remain seated and be silent for a time of reflection. Then the song that they played turned out to be: "COME FLY WITH ME" by FRANK SINATRA. I was trying my best to hide my laughter beause of the solemnity of the occassion. Well anyway, funerals definitely vary from culture to culture. There are some aspects that I would find very strange at least in my point of view. But I think this is just another challenge of being a missionary here in New Zealand. Always, Elmer I. I was very happy to receive news from Frt. Jonas Piodo, SVD & Rev. Felmar Fiel, SVD that Fr. Meng announced to the ISKO community in Tagaytay that Australia is now accepting Scholastics from Tagaytay to join the Australia province through the Cross Cultural program or Exchange Student program (ESP). This an initiative from Fr. Henry Adler, SVD the head prefect of our Dorish Maru College in Melbourne. Filipino ISKOs would find it easy to enter to the Australian community because they don't have to study another language, eventhough studying another language can have its own advantages also (di ba Lorz). Once they are there in Melbourne, they can go immediately to Theological Studies through the Yarra Theological Union. I do hope that some ISKOs would take this challenge of being in another culture which can be difficult at times and definitely very different. Hi everyone! I just received my first appointment from my provincial Tim Norton, SVD yesterday. It means for the next 2-3 years, I'll be stationed here in St. Patrick's Parish, Wainuiomata, Wellington, New Zealand. I liked my appointment. Among the areas I stayed during my "orientation/inculturation phase" it is here in Wellington that I stayed the longest and I have created many friends and acquiantances so I think it is better that I'll stay here for a while longer. I'm appointed as Assistant Parish Priest here for the moment. Later in October, we'll be joined here with Fr. Ben Macajes, SVD he's a Filipino from Mindanao and has been in Australia for a long time already but this will be his first appointment in New Zealand. When Fr. Ben comes, my role might shift to providing sacramental service to the nearby parishes here in the Hutt Valley. The reason is that there is one parish that has residing parish priest and is only run by a lay pastoral leader and two parishes where its parish priests are already close to retiring. This is the reality of the state of the Church here in New Zealand, where there are many retiring priests than new vocations taking over their ministries. It would be something unique for me, for the archdiocese and for the province. With this arrangement, I'm still living here in St. Patrick's and continue to ministry to the parish but my focus would be on the said parishes that needed sacramental service. However, I would still sit down with Arpb. John Dew of Wellington and Tim Norton, SVD this coming October for the full details of this work. It would be challenging and exciting. What I am glad over this appointment is that I can now settle down and focus myself on the work that is at hand. I have plans to form Bible groups, however because I don't have an appointment then so it is quite uneasy to start anything as I might be transferred to another parish in Australia. But now with the appointment, I could look forward to the work at hand. To those who would read this blog, I'm soliciting continuous prayers so that the Lord would guide me in this new challenge that I'm about to undertake. Thanks for all your support! God bless! Always, Elmer I. Let me give some lights & shadows of the World Youth Day. First the shadows, of all the greatness of the WYD, there are still some people who chose to be very negative about it. A few people thought the WYD is just a bother to their lives because of the traffic, the road closures and disruption to their businesses. Some even thought that because of the government support, many malicious minds are concluding that the governmenet is promoting the Catholic Church which is contrary to the policy of the separation of Church and State. Anyway, they say you can't please them all. Now for some lights & trivia about WYD: Firstly, I have heard from a volunteer that during the negotiation for the use of the Randwick Racecourse, the owners of the racecourse are asking the Archdiocese of Sydney AU$ 50 million for the rehabilitation of the racecourse after WYD. Of course, the demand was rejected because it was a huge amount. A week after that, all the horses in the racecourse contracted a horse flu that the owners bought expensive medicine to cure the horses. After the horse sickness negotiations resumed and eventually they agreed to the price of AU$ 15 million. A relatively reasonable amount. Was it an Act of God? We can just be relieved. Secondly, when we arrived in Sydney, there were predictions of rain that might ruin WYD. However, we came prepared and hoped for the best. And to our surprise, it never rained at the WYD venues throughout the event, especially during the "sleep over under the stars". The weathermen seems to got their predictions quite wrong! And finally on Sunday evening when all the WYD events are over, it finally rained! The Holy Spirit sure did wonderful job for the weather! Thirdly, to those who were watching the way of the cross on TV, when the announcer said the twelfth station, "Jesus dies on the cross", there was some smoke at the background. Everybody thought that it was part of the effects. However, some policemen came rushing to the back of the stage. They found out that one of the generators overheated and was in fact burning. But it was quickly put under control. Just imagine, if the fire reaches the stage, the actor playing Jesus might find himself going down the cross prematurely. Just joking! Fourthly, during the 9km Pilgrimage Walk which started early Saturday morning until well into the afternoon. One could note that the Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed for the only the 3rd time in its history because of the Pilgrimage Walk. Making the walk more remarkable and memorable. Lastly, as a personal anecdote, when our group was on the Qantas airplane on our way back to Wellington, the stewardess offered my seatmate some drinks for her lunch. She said she wanted a small bottle of white wine. Then after her, I also asked for a small bottle of red wine. The stewardess took a curious look at me then she asked for my passport. She may have thought that I was under 18 so she wanted to check my age. Then after that she returned the passport and gave me the bottle of wine. By this time, our group was already laughing because of the incident. Then I said to the stewardess who was a little embarassed, "Don't worry about it, I'll take it as complement." And for me it was a real complement. Ha ha ha! During the World Youth Day, we have received the Holy Spirit's power. Hopefully, we would make effective use of it as we continue to witness the gospel of Jesus Christ. | |
