by Bo Sanchez

Let me share with you a simple secret about succeeding in life.Don’t ever try to please everyone.

I’ve been a leader of Catholic organizations for two decades now. If I tried to live up to all the expectations that people heap on me, I’d need to be Padre Pio and Bill Gates and Francis of Assisi and John Rockefeller and Clark Kent rolled into one.

Talk about severe schizophrenia!

Some want me to be Padre Pio: ‘Bo, your early morning prayer time – done at four - should last for three hours. You should levitate once in a while. When you walk around, we should smell the odor of sanctity and see a beautiful glow on your face.’ Jeepers, I have some type of odor, I know. But I doubt if it’s sacred. (Spell out my name. Remind you of something?)

Others want me to be Bill Gates, the great CEO: ‘As our leader, you should manage a well-knit, well-run, well-oiled organization. You should implement reengineering, develop our marketing niche, and work towards ISO 9002 systems in our prayer group.’

Others want me to be St Francis of Assisi, the ascetic: ‘Bo, you should live in poverty, wear second-hand clothes, and never touch or own or think of money at all. Drive a beat up, rusty, dilapidated car. And live in a squatter area.’

And yet another group of people insist that I be John Rockefeller, the philanthropist: ‘When we have financial needs, it’ll be nice if we see you dig deep into your pocket and help us with our children’s tuition fees, our hospital bills, our shopping sprees.’

Some wish me to be Clark Kent: ‘I don’t care if your schedule is full. You have to be there for me! Be my personal best friend. Don’t just be my leader! Phone me everyday and visit my home every other day.’ For two thousand members of my organization?

I’ve accepted this truth: I believe that if I will do what my Creator wants me to do, I’ll end up disappointing a lot of people.

I’m not all these characters.

I’m Bo. And I like being Bo! God has created me to be this particular person with my own set of strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies.

Don’t try to please everyone.
Disappoint people!
Know your call.
And answer it.

PS. We’ve just celebrated that first day when Jesus disappointed a lot of people by not becoming superman, but a helpless infant instead. Because that was His call.

Salamat sa KERYGMA

By Father Cireneo Matulac SSC

Father Cireneo ‘Dodong’ Matulac was ordained priest in his native Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay, on 28 December 2002. He’s been working in Pagadian cathedral parish since then but headed for China in January 2004. Here he tells us how his family welcomes the New Year.

There’s growing excitement in our family as we prepare for the New Year’s celebration. My brother has just left for the población to buy ice cream, the only time we have it, a real New Year’s treat. I feel that this New Year’s celebration will be different. My mother has insisted on baking rice cakes which she hadn’t done for years. My two sisters are preparing their favorite dish and my other brother is preparing his usual pork and chicken barbecue. My family has certainly become a lot bigger. I now have seventeen nephews and nieces, the oldest in his early twenties, and all of them are extremely excited. I’ve heard the younger ones say, ‘Uncle will celebrate Mass for the New Year in Lola’s house.’

Our time of the year

Celebrating the New Year has always been a happy occasion for my family. We welcome it in a festive manner even in dire times. My father makes sure that everyone is present and leads us in our family para-liturgical celebration, like a family GSK (Gagmayng Simbahanong Katilingban) or Basic Ecclesial Community. We start at 11pm and finish a few minutes before midnight when we wish each other ‘Happy New Year.’

Fr Cireneo with parents after his ordination

My father selects a gospel reading and then expounds on it with the passionate homily he has prepared weeks before. His sermon usually revolves around how our family has gone through hardships and difficulties but has always been able to move forward. He attributes this not to any of his strengths and gifts but to prayer that God always answers. He reminds us that every evening my mother leads us in the rosary. I remember that as a child I always fell asleep before we finished. My father speaks of the generosity of God who continues to bless us all the days of our lives. When he comes to this point, my mother seconds him with her sobs and tears. She isn’t particularly sad. Her tears express a joy for which there are no words.

What binds my family

After our liturgy, we have the family dinner. This is the time when we make wishes for the coming year. When I was a young boy I asked God to make me a little taller. God answered my other prayers but not this one. This New Year, however, I can’t wish for anything more except for our family to be always together.

I know that this New Year will be different. I am the youngest child and I was ordained to the priesthood only a a few days ago. My mother told her grandchildren that this time we would have Mass instead of my father leading the family liturgy. Secretly, to his great delight, I asked my father to prepare the homily. Deep in my heart I know that this is a tradition that sustains us as a Christian family and that my vocation sprang mainly from my parents’ faith articulated by my father in his New Year’s sermon and made a lot more profound by my mother’s sobs and tears. I’m sure that it is going to be a different celebration this year, as my mother has told her grandchildren. But then it’s always different because each time we welcome the New Year we’re growing deeper in our faith in God. This yearly ritual has always been a wellspring of my family’s faith and my vocation to the priesthood.

Every New Year is indeed different and yet a continuation of what we’ve always been doing.

By Sister Maria Divina MC

…Be with us Mary along   the way guide every step we take, lead us to Jesus, your loving Son. Come with us Mary, come…

We all smile as our pre-school children, from different denominations, sing with their angelic voices the hymn to Our Lady. I believe Our Lady is smiling too as she listens to their innocent prayer. Their song gives me hope and joy, that indeed we all have a great Mother who never forgets us.

How we start our day

As we finish our apostolate prayer, joined by our pre-school children and sewing-class mothers, we Sisters go to our various assignments. During the day our garage becomes a classroom for the little ones, while the bigger children aged six and seven use the classroom. One of our Sisters is teaching sewing and cooking to the mothers, along with catechism before the morning session ends. Sister Chunjin Rosa MC and I go on patrol to visit the villages along the river with our bilums (strong string general purpose bags, used throughout Papua New Guinea) loaded with medicines, teaching materials and sewing things needed for today's work.

Dinghy Ride

As we're on our way, we hear, 'Good morning, Sisters, just now we saw your dinghy going down…' - a good introduction to the day. Our dinghy is a small speed boat. Here in Kerema, Gulf Province, you'll see it being carried on top of our car from the mission station down to a sloping road to the shore at Hevoro. It's lucky for us if it's high tide, because you just put the dinghy straight from the car into the water. But today it's low tide, so we need to carry it first through muddy water till we can start the motor which Jeorge, a local boy working in the mission station, operates.

The dinghy takes us through the grandeur of nature that makes PNG a paradise. The stillness of clear water mirroring the azure sky and the tops of blue mountains far off, the rugged mangroves on both sides of the river inhabited by thousands of shell fish, the fresh breeze that makes us cool despite the strong heat, the hundreds of fish that ripple in the water and glitter in the sunshine. Yes, God reveals His greatness in His creation.As we finish the rosary, I praise God for the mission He shares with us.

Our Assembly

There are those days when after traveling quite a distance we have to get out of the dinghy to push, pull and carry it over big logs because the river is low. At times we walk through deserted bush in heavy rains to reach a village and find everybody has gone to their own little farm, leaving only pigs and dogs roaming. Then we ring the chapel 'bell,' a piece of iron from a car, and shouting 'ohhhhh' at the top of our voices. As this re-echoes, the people come one by one. Anyway, what counts most is our presence, whether there's a crowd or just a single soul. God never leaves His co-workers alone. He blesses them.

The Miracle Language

Today, after our dinghy takes the last turn in a long series of curves, we see the people. Some are sitting on the neglected bridge, some on the riverbank, but most are enjoying the cool, clear water as they bathe while waiting for us. The Kamia people, a nomadic tribe, heard the Good News only a few years ago. Even with the language difficulty - the tribe has a number of languages - the language of love works miracles. It creates a good relationship with them. The people are simple, sensitive, good-natured, loving and eager to learn. The rugged lines on their faces show the hard life of those whose home is the bush and the jungle. As we walk the few kilometers from the river to the village, we exchange stories, laugh together and enjoy the wonderful smiles that greet us. Yes, Lord God, the harvest is rich because you and your Mother, never abandon us. As we reach the village, we gather the people in the chapel before we group them, mothers and young girls for needle work, children for pre-school. After a while we have catechism for those preparing to receive the sacraments. With Our Lady's statue decorated with flowers in our midst, the whole village exultantly sings the hymn to her:

…Maria o Mama, yu Mama bilong Jisas Yu Mama bilong God, God I givim ona na biknem long yu, O Maria Yu pre bilong mi, yu helpim mi… Maria, O Mama, You are the mother of Jesus, The Mother of God, God gives you honor and great name, O Maria, You pray for me, you help me…

Yes, Our Lady is the courage, the strength and the inspiration behind the drama of everyone's mission life. She leads us all to Jesus, her Son. As the sun sets over the horizon, and we carry the dinghy back to the station on the car, we are grateful indeed for the great gift God bestows on us: sharing His mission life.

By Sister Nellie Zarraga ICM

Sr Nellie, 2nd from the left, and Bishop Wens Padilla, far right, with friends outside a ger

Sr Nellie, an ICM Sister in Mongolia, attended the ordination of Fr Wens Padilla as the first bishop in Mongolia which took place in the newly constructed Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul in the western part of Uaanbaatar. The beauty of the stained glass windows caught here attention and reminded her of the work of the missionaries in the country.

As the sun shone through the small stained-glass windows surrounding the dome of the Mongolian ger-like structure, my thoughts went to the meaning of the presence of the Church here.

I looked again at the windows around and found six designs. At the very center, above the altar, was a cross; I thought of how Bishop Wens is the center of unity among the missionaries here, nine of whom are from the Philippines.

Beside the cross was a pair of hands; I thought of the hands of Sister M. Shehenna MC reaching out to the children of poor families in Yarmag, clothing and feeding them so that they can go to the nearby schools and have some kind of education to improve their families' lot, and the hands of Sr M. Milagrosa MC guiding the street children who go to the center of the Missionaries of Charity in Dar Ekh.

Next was the window depicting some bread; I thought of the bread baked by the community development project of ICM Sister Marife Sebial, and the bread of fellowship and dignity I share with persons with mental and learning disabilities.

Another window showed doves in flight; is this not the effect of the CICMs – Father Gilbert Sales caring for 120 street children, the pastoral work of Fr Philip Borla with the newly baptized Mongolian Catholics, and the youth animation of Brother Ronald Magbanua?

The symbol of the fish in another design caught my attention; Salesian Fr Carlo Maria Villegas has cast his net among the poor youth who have dropped out of school but want some vocational and technical education in Don Bosco Technical and Vocational Center.

The last design is that of a flower in bloom. May all of us bloom with the grace of God and the accompaniment of one another as we go the way of Christ together. . . to the greater glory of God.

In the words of our new bishop to the Catholics of Mongolia, ‘Let this faith you have received, not from us, but through us, grow in you. . .’

By Aurora Cañete Luceño

I first came to Pakistan as a Columban lay missionary in 1994 with two other women. We were the third team from the Philippines in the Columban L ay Missionary Program (CLMP) and were nicknamed ‘RP3’.  Pakistan wasn’t my personal choice but when I applied I was prepared to go anywhere on mission. I lived and worked with my team during our nine months of orientation, also a time of discernment. I came to know more about myself, my faith and working with others. I opened up to a new perspective on life and the call to mission. During orientation we were made to see some of the realities, challenges and even dangers that a missionary may have to face.

Roses in December

I remember vividly the night we shared our thoughts and feelings after watching Roses in December, a documentary about Jean Donovan , an American lay missionary murdered in El Salvador on December 1980 along with three  American nun , Maura Clarke MM, Ita Ford MM and Dorothy Kazel OSU. The film hit us very strongly and drew many responses from us.  I stayed in the CLMP fully aware of the risks I might have to take. I continued to believe that I’m not in mission just for myself, but first and foremost to be a witness of Christ’s love to others. Being in a cross-cultural mission is incidental, I suppose. I could have been with any group in any place. But one thing I’m sure of: I’m called to be on mission as a layperson.

Through the dusty streets

At this stage I realize that no orientation program, no matter how thorough, could ever have prepared me fully for my journey of faith in this very interesting place and culture. A great part of it just had to be experienced, learned from and lived out while continuing the dusty streets of Shadbagh, which I now consider my second home. Looking back, I’m left with a heart full of appreciation and gratefulness to my family and to those who helped me in my preparation and to those who continue to support me on my journey. I’m very happy to be living and journeying with the people in this Islamic country. I continue to live among a community of families who are mostly streets sweepers and house cleaners. I’ve journeyed very closely with them, especially with the women, youth and children. We’ve worked and shared dreams together in adult literacy classes for women and for older girls, in the formation and awareness program for women in the parish, in catechesis and Sunday school for young children and in our day-to-day struggle in dealing and living with the harsh realities of poverty, discrimination, harassment, conflict and the threat of war.

My human strength 

Some may not understand what makes a person leave a ‘good’ job for the missions. The lure of mission work may be a novelty at the outset but that kind of ‘high’ wears off. A noble work doesn’t always give pleasure. Often it’s tiring. There are irritations along the way from people, from circumstances, even from within. Somehow, I’ve learned to live with and work through these. At this stage, the loveand respect I share with many of the Pakistani people I’ve come to know and now call friends seem strong enough to sustain me and keep me going. Recognizing my experiences and acknowledging the value of my presence here as the only female, single, Asian lay missionary in an otherwise all-male Columban community in Pakistan, and the life –witnessing we do in the communities and the people we encounter, I’m encouraged and challenged to continue, while being fully aware of the difficulties and the dangers that we face. But I don’t think I have the makings of a saint or martyr. While I value very much the mission here and give the best that I can share in my present missionary journey, I’m a person who’s ready to say humbly, ‘I’ve enough. I can’t do it anymore’.

Is it time to go? 

The aftermath of the War I Afghanistan waged by the USA and its Alllies and the threat of war between India and Pakistan saw us missionaries in a very vulnerable, volatile and highly  threatened position. Even before this atmosphere of war I, as a female foreign missionary moving around the busy streets of Shadbagh, have always been in a defensive mode once I go out of the Columban house. The threat of harassment and discrimination had become a very high sensitivity and empathy for many of the Pakistani women whose experiences and realities are much worse than mine. I feel a growing interest in looking into the plight of Pakistani women and in working globally for the cause of the women. The concern and sympathy of some of my Columban companions had become a source of support and strength for me as well.  In the situation of the conflict and threat of war all foreign missionaries, men and women, are very vulnerable. I found that very disturbing indeed. The attcks on Christian institutions left us sad, angry and confused. Often we asked if our continued presence in the communities was helping the people or it posed a danger to them instead. Would it be wiser for us to pack up and go? Many times we just had to stop and reflect on the changing meaning of our being here.

We will stay 

I remember the Sunday I walked into the church compound after the news of two consecutive attacks on Christian institutions. I never felt so alarmed by the sight of armed soldiers commissioned by the government to guard the area and sandbags by our church gate. For the first time it dawned on me that it could be my last Eucharistic celebration with the parishioners. Day by day, we were feeling the more and more the tension and the danger, missing the little freedom and peace we used to enjoy. It was easy to be consumed by the fear and be paranoid. But we tried to hold on to our faith, go back to the reason why we were here and found great support from our families, from the Columbans, as well as from other missionaries with whom we maintain good contact and keep each other updated. We tried to be more creative in our pastoral ministry, considering the limitations we were experiencing in our movements, in how we spent our community day and recreation, and in making sufficient time to share and listen to each other. I found all of these very helpful. To top it all, the love and appreciation of many of the Pakistani we work with affirmed our decision to stay on and gave us more courage.
While on orientation in the Philippines I saw the following lines on the bulletin board in the Columban House in Singalong, Manila. I copied them on a small piece of paper that I continue to carry with me:

If you believe in something, you’ll do it because you believe in it, not continuing the results, even to the point of death.

I continue to believe in the value of the presence of the presence of the Columbans in Pakistan and the unselfish contribution of those who have been here and those who have known, worked and journeyed closely with them.

CHRIST AS THE YARDSTICK

By Rebecca C. Costales 

One of my friends came for a visit and, over lunch, we talked about our lives.  He mentioned that people at his office didn’t seem to know right from wrong. In truth, we live in an age where people’s concept of rightness is based on ‘Everyone’s doing it, so it must be right.’ 

The Lure of Media

Ours is a society of popular culture reflected in the media.  The influence it has on children and teenagers is quite alarming.   Watching ‘reality’ shows on TV you’d wonder: ‘What reflects what? Are these shows a reflection of society with producers getting their ideas from society itself, or are they producing a different reality that people easily adapt to?’  Think of the amount of sex and violence on TV, it’s astounding. Think of the youth watching it.  Delve more deeply into the kind of music, advertising and news that you read and watch everyday, and you get the picture of how far the media can contaminate our lives.

Stereotyped Christians

For us, people who choose to follow Christ’s life as the only yardstick with which we measure our choices and actions, it seems that we are slowly becoming the minority in society.  We are called deviants because we veer away from the norms and behavior of the society we live in. This choice is a sacrifice in itself, for to live a Christian life is to expect to be branded as ‘too different, too religious, too traditional, too conservative, too passé.’

Better than words

But God didn’t say to those who are faithful to Him, ‘Remain unsociable and locked up in your own worlds. Mingle only with people who are themselves holy.’  How can we win souls for Him when we remain hidden or unsociable?  It is not that we have to actively expose ourselves to evil and pray that we are not tempted. But rather, that we live our human and divine life in the world and influence others by our virtues.  ‘I do not pray you take them out of the world,’ says our Lord, ‘but to keep them from the evil one’ (Jn 17:15). He is telling us to stand up for what we believe, to embody our faith in the responsibilities that we are called to in our lives — as parents, as priests, as students, as professionals.  How can parents explain to their teenage child that pre-marital sex is wrong when he reasons out, ‘Pre-marital sex is generally accepted in society, so it must be right.’ How can a doctor stand up for his faith if he prescribes and promotes contraceptive pills? And there are many more instances when one is faced with a challenge regarding faith and morals. There are times when our own communion with the less good has made us less good, when we are not strong enough to resist the world.

Point of Existence

When I look at my own life, it is a bittersweet struggle, a struggle to become deeply aware of Christ’s presence at work, with the people I meet, in my conversations, in the ordinariness of my life. But it is a struggle that is motivated by love for God and fear of sin. After all, the life of Christ is the only valid yardstick with which I can truly measure my own existence.

By Beatriz T. Millena

Betty, a midwife by profession, is from the Diocese of Digos in Mindanao. She joined the PIME lay mission program two years ago. She was sent to Cambodia, a Buddhist country, in 2001 to work with HIV/AIDS patients in Phnom Penh, the capital. She tells us about the sad reality brought by this epidemic to the people of Cambodia.

What I had in mind when I left for Cambodia was that I would be involved with community development projects, similar to what I was doing back in the Philippines. I never expected that of all kinds of ministry, I'd up working with HIV/AIDS patients. I wanted to back out. I was scared and I told myself, ‘I won’t do this work.’

Epidemic

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cambodia is one of the most serious in Asia. Of their 13.4 million population, 3.2% of adults are infected with the HIV virus that often leads to AIDS. 100 new infections occur everyday with a total of 35,000 over the last year; 2.6 % of pregnant women are HIV infected. It is estimated that 3,500 HIV-positive babies will be born each year if nothing would be done about this.

War against AIDS

The government established a program called Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) almost three years ago in a limited number of hospitals with help from international NGOs and some local organizations. It also did research on the anti retro virus medicine called Nevirapine. The researchers found out that this tablet can prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to child -- 95% of cases. Pregnant mothers infected with HIV should take one tablet of Nevirapine during labor period and also give the baby one dose 72 hours after birth. But breastfeeding increases the risk of transmission from 5% to 32%.

Beatriz T. Millena

I work with the Maryknoll Sisters, one of the Catholic NGOs working in Cambodia. They set up a project in 1984 to care for people infected with AIDS. The purpose of this program is to prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to child.

The Difference I make

It pains me to see our patients, who are extremely poor, being abandoned by their family and friends when they need them the most -– their love, care and understanding. This is not particularly good especially for the pregnant patients. Pregnant women are supposed to be physically and psychologically sound so they’ll have a healthy pregnancy.

Every time I visit them, they tell me their stories, how lonely they are and how difficult life is for them. But I feel happy when they tell me that my presence means a lot to them. This is what makes my work here meaningful though it’s not easy. I have to be strong and emotionally stable especially when I’m attending to a dying patient. As a midwife, taking care of pregnant mothers is my expertise. But to help an HIV-positive mother in giving birth is an entirely different story.

I believe that what I'm doing now is my real task in a way that I can experience, live and share the compassion and love of Christ which I fully desire. If I said before that ‘I won’t do this work,’ now I’m glad I didn't listen to myself.

By Serge Patrick Mondomobe CICM

The first Catholic mission in Mongolia in modern times was opened in 1992. The leader of the first three missionaries, Father Wenceslao S. Padilla CICM, from La Union, became the first ever bishop in Mongolia on August 29, ordained in the newly built cathedral in Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, that was consecrated the following day. Father Patrick, the author, is from Cameroon.

A bishop needs a cathedral but you need to have a bishop to bless a cathedral. The Church in Mongolia had neither. The Vatican decided a bishop should come first, with a cathedral the following day. Jan Pieter Cardinal Schotte CICM, the Belgian Secretary of the Roman Curia, pointed out a few days before the ordination of his Filipino confrere, Monsignor Wenceslao Padilla CICM, as the first ever bishop in Mongolia that it would be a miracle if the church were ready for that event. The cardinal didn’t seem reassured by the words of the architect that it would. The bishop-elect remained calm.

August 29 2003: Ordination of the first Bishop of Mongolia

The Book of Gospels being held over the head of the new bishop

Crescenzio Cardinal Sepe, the Italian Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, ordained Msgr Wenceslao Padilla CICM as bishop on Friday 29 August 2003, the Feast of the Beheading of St John the Baptist. It was also the 97th birth anniversary of Constancio Padilla, a faithful catechist for many years with the CICM missionaries in La Union and the late father of the new bishop. Among bishops present from Kazakhstan, Korea and the Philippines was Bishop Antonio R. Tobias of San Fernando de La Union.

Monsignor Wens, escorted by Filipino Fr Gilbert Sales CICM and Congolese Felicien Kadiebue CICM, entered the church like a sacrificial lamb under the amazed but kind look of his sister Bless, jokingly ‘proclaimed’ ‘Bishop of the Sisters’ by Archbishop Giovanni Battista Morandini, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea and Mongolia. The concelebrants’ golden vestments, made in Mongolia, showed the solemnity of the event that brought together more that 400 people. Father Pierre Kasemuana CICM, another Congolese and the first priest ever to be ordained in Mongolia, in 1998, marvelously fulfilled his role of master of ceremonies. Msgr Wens in his first homily as first bishop of our nascent Church reminded the congregation, ‘Your faith does not come from us. We are only reflecting to you what we have received.’

August 30, 2003: Blessing of the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul

Before the consecration of the cathedral, the Yugoslavian architect explained to Cardinal Sepe that it’s a combination of traditional Mongolian style and modern Western architecture, in the form of a cross. I heard many visitors from abroad asking, ‘Such a big church for just 180 baptized?’ (Christians in general number 34,000 in a population of 2.7 million. Almost 40% of the country professes no religion. Animist cults comprise 31% of the population, Buddhists 22%, Muslims 4.8%.) Some even asked if we in Mongolia really believed that the Holy Father might come for such a small group of Catholics. Nevertheless, after the blessing of the Cathedral, some newly baptized Mongolian boys and girls told us that they were really proud of their Church and church building. They felt responsible for making it a real House of God for the Mongolian faithful to pray in. What a statement!

Fr Philip Borla CICM, from Danao City, Cebu, the pastor-elect, opened the main doors of the church while I, appointed as assistant parish priest, brought in the holy relics in a solemn procession of all the Christian community and the guests. Cardinal Sepe, helped by Cardinal Schotte and Bishop Padilla anointed the altars and the pillars in a moment of deep emotion felt by all in the assembly.

Father Gabriel Tshimanga CICM from Congo read the gospel. Cardinal Sepe in his homily recalled the history of the Church in Mongolia. ‘Eleven years ago you began your journey, literally from nothing, as a community of God,’ he said. He spoke of the three CICM priests who opened the new mission in 1992, the then Father Padilla, Father Robert Goessens from Belgium and Father Gilbert Sales from the Philippines, ‘witnessing to their faith in Jesus Christ in your midst, people of Mongolia.’ The Cardinal added that the group grew ‘from three missionaries to 45; from a few Catholics to over 150, together with many others who wish to convert; from one community of faithful to three; from one Verbist Center of Assistance to the different works and apostolates to which you are presently committed at the service of the people of God in Mongolia.’

Cardinal Sepe places the miter
on Bishop Padilla

The historic roots of Christianity in Mongolia go back to the 13th and 14th centuries, when the first missionaries arrived. Cardinal Sepe mentioned that the great Qubilai Khan, 1215-1280, personally requested Pope Clement IV to send missionaries to teach Christianity and science to his people. Marco Polo served in his court for 17 years. ‘This was possible only because the great Mongol khans showed a type of wisdom that was rare in the 13th century, namely, tolerance and acceptance of all religions,’ the cardinal said. He praised the same wisdom of the authors of the new Mongolian Constitution, who introduced the ‘fundamental right to religion and the freedom of religion.’

‘While you affirm your historical heritage as a people, remember that what sustains us in our efforts to build our Christian community is faith in God, who is loving and compassionate with us, and faith in the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us, his flock,’ Cardinal Sepe continued. ‘Both represent our humanity and our openness to the grace of God,’ he added. ‘While we consecrate this church of God, let us consecrate our human condition and ask God to heal us of our weaknesses.’

The Cardinal also emphasized many times, ‘The Pope loves you.’

August 31, 2003: Thanksgiving Mass and the Bishop’s first appointments

The thanksgiving Mass was much more relaxed as all the dignitaries had left. Bishop Wens was the main celebrant but forgot to bring his miter. He borrowed that of the nuncio but felt completely uncomfortable using his staff. He nearly forgot to put on the chasuble and those who managed to kiss his ring could feel how hesitant he was. It will take some time before ‘Father Wens’ becomes ‘Monsignor Wens’!

In his homily Bishop Wens told us that because of his naughty childhood almost nobody foresaw him as a priest and even less as a bishop. But God’s plans are unknown to us. He expressed his uneasiness with the regalia of a bishop and finally, but reluctantly, accepted the responsibilities he had been given because of the Mongolian men and women that the Catholic Church Mission has been serving for the past 11 years. He promised to use his power and position not to dictate or dominate but for the growth of each and everyone in the mission. So help him God.

Then Monsignor Wens formally appointed Father Philip Borla as Parish Priest and myself as Assistant Parish Priest of his Cathedral.
The main difference one could notice in the official documents was the name of the new promulgating authority: H E Most Reverend Wenceslao S. Padilla CICM, Apostolic Prefect/Bishop.

By Estefanio Argall Luceño

To be the father of the Columban lay missionary is indeed a rare privilege. I consider it precious gift from God.

Auring and Sr Mary Judith Madeleine with their parents on their Golden Wedding Day

My daughter, Aurora C. Luceño, a civil engineer by profession, was enjoying a well-paying job and a promising career in the Department of Interior and Local Government before being sent to the Columban Lay Mission Program (CLMP) she took part in the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program, which gave her a chance to visit different Asian countries, including Japan, as a goodwill ambassador of youth.

The way she wanted it

When she first broached the idea and sought our permission to become a lay missionary, we had no objection except that my wife Teresita and I would preferred that she work in a Muslim or Subaanen area in Mindanao rather than in a foreign land. Since childhood she had been nurturing the idea of serving God as a missionary and had made a serious discernment of the way of life she intended to pursue. After the nine-month orientation program for cross-cultural mission of the CLMP she was assigned to Pakistan. At this juncture we reiterated our preference. However, she reasoned that the Christian population in our country constitutes a big majority compared to believers in Islam, whereas Christians in Pakistan make up less than one per cent of that overwhelmingly Islamic country. We saw her point and so finally consented.

The mission sending

I very well remember the support Aurora received from our parishioners during her missions ending in 1994, a solemn and colorful ceremony held in San Jose Parish, Pagadian City. Msgnr Patricio R. Getigan, Fr Felix Tigoy, the parish priest, Fr Niel Collins and a number of other Columban priests celebrated the Holy Mass. I was deeply touched by the way that things had come to pass. I still remember the strong feeling of support from friends and the reality of parting.

Missionary work is not new to us. As leaders of Couples for Christ my wife and I were commissioned to evangelize in Zamboanga City where we conducted a Christian  Life Program in coordination with the Claretians. Long before, we had been associated with missionaries in our place and had been  actively involved in various church activities such as the Family Life Aposolate.

Worried Parents

An older sister of Aurora, Sr Mary Judith Madeleine OCD, likewise witnessed among our Muslim brothers and sisters in Marawi City where she had and nine other Carmilite nuns were kidnapped by bandits in 1986.

Hence, there were times when we felt apprehensive over the safety of Aurora and other missionaries exposed to the perils of war, particularly at the height of the War on terror

We watched her grow

From her sharing with us I learnwaged by the USA in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s neighbor. However, with the blessing of strong faith and trust in God’s protection we managed to overcome our fears.

The conflict between Pakistan and India over Kashmir is another source of unrest that poses a danger to missionaries. Nevertheless, Aurora assured us of her safety, as she is well loved by the people in the community where she lives and works. Besides, there’s bigger Columban family to which we feel we belong that has unfailingly supported her in her missionary journey.

ed that while missionary life can be difficult, it can also be enjoyable, rewarding and full of challenges .I am a witness to the tremendous change in Aurora’s way of life as a missionary and the growth that has made her a stronger and more mature woman.

In the process I have made myself present and available to accompany her in her continuing discernment in her life and missionary journey. I have witnessed with interest and satisfaction the growth that she has experienced since she first joined the orientation program. She has since assumed greater responsibilities in the CLMP. I feel I’m greatly blessed as I see the commitment and passion of another of my children to serve people and become a living witness to God’s great love.
I am happy that in our small and humble way our family has helped in spreading the Gospel here and in faraway places for the greater glory of God and the coming of his kingdom upon people of diverse races.

By Malyne G. Nim

Photo by Benjo Rulona

I am a psychologist and consultant trainer, wife to my best friend, Arli, mother of Bea and Gioia. In September 2000, I concluded a training program with workers of the evacuation centers in Mindanao as part of a project with an international agency. Because of the success of this project, I was given a new assignment in another war-torn country. My bags were packed, my ticket confirmed. Then...I had a visitor.

News from an old friend

A childhood friend, now a well-known surgeon in our province was in Manila for a conference and came to say hello that Sunday morning. I asked him to take a look at the lump in my breast, which got painful when I was tired. For what seemed like eternity, he examined both breasts. Then he gave me 'the look' that I knew from way back whenever he'd tell me something serious and sad. To save him the effort, I asked, 'Am I going to die?'

He laughed. Then, addressing both Arli and myself, he explained that the lump was disturbingly large and deep and should immediately be biopsied. Even if it were benign, I'd still need to have it removed. 'And if it is malignant?' I asked. Surgery was just a part of the treatment. Chemotherapy should follow to stop the cancer cells from spreading. He wrote to his fellow surgeons in one of the best hospitals in the country. I remembered murmuring thanks and bidding him good-bye in a daze.

No more trips

Arli called the doctors for appointment. Going upstairs, I stared at my luggage. 'No more trips,' my friend said. I felt like I'd been stabbed, a heavy feeling overpowering me and tears started to fall. I allowed myself to cry relentlessly. A movie in my mind started to play: through tears, I could see my daughters--how would they grow up without me? Would Arli marry again? The pain intensified. I cried even more. I saw a team of doctors with scalpels digging into my body and could sense the horror of it all! I saw myself balding, weakening. I was very scared. I searched for the phone and dialed a friend.

She cried with me, and then said: 'Malyne, this is the time to really believe in God's love for you. Let's do this together.'

Her words instantly blurred the horror movie in my mind. I felt I was being transported to another dimension. True, the fear was still there, but now, there seemed to be a purpose to it. It didn't seem worthless and pointless.

Sure winner

I went for surgery, armed with a renewed faith in God's love for me, with the hope that whatever He wills is best for me; and with the love of my family and friends.

I understood why the first Christians sang as they were being fed to the lions. They were not afraid because they knew that God was with them. Taking my cue from them, I was singing in my mind as they wheeled me to the operating room. At that moment, I knew that many were singing with me a song to Mary that goes, 'You have held the whole world in your hands, and watched it slowly fade away. But you believed in love.' Later on, my doctor would comment that the smile on my face as he was operating helped him too.

Feast in my hospital room

The hospital experience was unique for miracles came one after another. Prayers were abundant, so were visitors and flowers and even balloons. My room was so festive that other patients said it looked liked I had a baby, not a mastectomy. I was overwhelmed by the support of everyone. Indeed, God cannot be outdone in generosity. He just wants us to say 'yes' and he will do the rest.

Struggle with change

My side of the bargain was to do His will and to love those around me. Easier said than done. For me, it's still a daily struggle. Being used to an active lifestyle, I found it hard to stay home all days, at times alone. The radical change from a diet with meat to a vegetarian one demanded a big change, plus adapting to the side effects of the chemotherapy, which includes emotionality and depression.

The Psychologist in me

As a psychologist, I know that a grave illness is a major crisis. It affects one's physical, psycho-social and spiritual functioning. The chemotherapy becomes more agonizing as the days go by. The family concerns increase as the children grow up. My stubborn personality crops up regularly. There is boredom and fatigue to balance and battle. But I'm learning that what matters is to live each moment in love, starting again each time I fall.

My children have become more mature for their age, being like little mothers to me, helping me wash myself, preparing my bed, giving me my vitamins, assuring me of their love, even when my hair started to fall. My husband has proven to me that love is more beautiful when suffering is embraced together with faith and hope. In my dark hours he kept encouraging me to believe in love. It was easier for me to do so, because he was beside me.

Cancer as my teacher

It may be ironic, but there are moments I thank God for my cancer. It has taught me the biggest lessons in life. It has taught me patience, forgiveness, temperance, fortitude. It has made me more prayerful, translating each activity into songs of praise. It has brought me closer to Mary Desolate--Mary at the foot of the cross--who never stopped believing in love. It made me realize that suffering can be a song because it teaches us how to love more deeply.

POSTSCRIPT

Last January, we learned that my cancer had metastasized to the lungs, liver and bones. I needed another operation and a new round of chemotherapy, this time with a drug more potent, and much more expensive.

It was another Gethsemane for me. But then, again, with the help of my family in the Focolare, I got the courage to say, 'Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.'And again I became witness to the outpouring of God's love, through the people around me.

The next six months passed by in extreme pain due to the side effects of the drug. I lost my hair, gave up the job I like, restricted activities with my children. But in the same period I also felt boundless joy, as I experienced the love and support of everyone. Many times I wished to give up the fight, but I am lifted up again and encouraged to start anew by everyone who believe that all this is part of God's plan of love for me.

Today, the miracle continues and the song remains the same: 'You, O Lord, are my only good.'

Salamat sa NEW CITY.