By Fr. Shay Cullen, MSSC

Fr. Shay Cullen is known throughout the world for his work in rescuing child prostitution and in charging the international law to make children safer. Less known is the other work of his PREDA Foundation in Olongapo which runs a Fair Trade Program, here is a simple story to keep you understands what fair can do for those on the margins of life. After all isn’t that what mission is about: bringing good news to those who hungry.

Sold like Slaves

Juanito de la Paz was a poor hard-working man who lived in a small bamboo and grass house on the hillside of Olongapo City. His children played outside the perimeter fence of what was then the largest military base in Asia – Subic Bay. He earned just enough for the bare necessities of life, like millions of our people in the world today who live in squalor surrounded by plenty. I said the ‘was’ poor and ‘did’ lice in poverty because that has changed, and I want to tell you why and how. That military base and hundreds like it swallowed up vast amounts of the Philippines natural resources and created wealth for a few families who has contacts with the military or owned clubs and bars where women and children were sold like slaves in a cattle auction.

By Sr. Melina Polo, SSpS

For a long time I have wanted to write about my presence here in the Netherlands as a SSpS missionary. It’s on this feast of our Blessed Founder, Arnold Jansen, that I shoved away my reports and books on Social Work and took these quiet moments to write down my thoughts and reflections about my four day stay in this beautiful land of milk, cheese, windmills and, of course tulips!

By Sr. Wilfredis Jacob

Sr. Wilfredis Jacob spent a quarter of a century as a Holy Spirit Sister in the Philippines. Then she was asked to leave home and to go Ghana, she is a youth minister. These photos show us the joy she feels in bringing the tenderness of God to this beautiful people and how she herself keeps young.

A Special Seminar for Balikbayan Missionaries

By Fr. Leonardo Mercado, SVD

Missionaries have the temptation to overwork -- add to that the shock of a new culture and maybe a new diet and climate and you have the perfect formula for BURN OUT. The Divine Word Missionaries are trying to do something about this. They offer a special program for Balikbayan Missionaries several times a year at their retreat house in Tagaytay City. Here we have some of the comments or returning Filipino missionaries who have done this one-week seminar organized especially for them.

• The seminar was truly an answer to a prayer: the solution to the alienation of a returning Filipino missioner.
• One important feature is the sharing of mission experiences, especially our woundedness and frustrations.