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Philippines

A Tribe Lies Bleeding

By Conrado de Quiros

Misyon has for a long time taken a stand for tribal people throughout the world. Now here’s something close to home to shock us ...

Ikit Landahay is a 10-year-old boy from the Umayammon-Manobo, a ‘lumad’ or tribe living in the fringes of Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte. He has this story to tell:

When he was only one year old, his father was shot to death by armed men believes to be working for the logging company, Sta. Ines Milale Corporation (Simcor). His father was Datu Tuting Landahay, and he had earned the ire of the company by protesting its logging operations. Ikit’s mother deeply mourned her husband’s death, and finding no solace in life, hanged herself. Ikit and his four brothers and sisters fell under the care of their uncle.

Nidia, a woman who planted trees

By Fr. Vincent Busch

On the island of Mindanao where I live I see signs all around me of how our generous and renewable planet is dying. Mindanao’s top soil is eroded, its forest stripped, its mangrove swamps uprooted and its rivers and seas are polluted. The people who suffer most from this ecological mess are those whose lives depend directly on the health of their habitat. I see the consequences so clearly in the town of Plaridel where the people of Barrio Danao go hungry in the wake of the destruction of their mangrove forest.

Sila ni Pilar

By Fr. Brendan O’Connell

I met Pilar Tilos in 1963 in Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental. It was my first year as a priest and her first as a teacher. We have been friends ever since. She was one of the first group of lay people to become actively involved in the Church in Southern Negros in the Philippines. Through the legion on Mary and other mandated organizations of the sixties she helped prepare Hinoba-an for the tremendous changes that were to come.

A Novice Reports

By: Cristina V. de Leon

A Novice
I am Cristina V. de Leon, a second year Columban novice, presently based here in Handworth, Birmingham, England. Aside from the courses, I have been involved in various ministries around the area since the middle of 1992 – the time I cane here in England.

EUNTES Here’s Your Chance

By Fr. Enzo Corba, PIME
EAC Director

You are a secular priest, you are a lay person, you are a sister but for a long time you’ve been interested in becoming a missionary or becoming more missionary than you are: WELL EUNTES IS HERE TO HELP YOU.

EUNTES is a beautiful gift of the PIME Fathers to Asia: It is a missionary formation center set in Zamboanga but at the service of the Asian Church. It is headed by the kindly and gentle Fr. Enzo Corba who here tells us what being a missionary is all about. It’ll be worth your while to hear him out:

A Letter To Jerry

By: Fr. Paul Richardson

Columban Mission

About seven years ago, I was drinking coffee in a small coffee shop in a section of the town of Hinoba-an in Negros that is known as Dancalan Beach. Formerly, the area was almost completely Catholic, but over the years many of the people there have left the church to join a Filipino church known as the Iglesia ni Kristo (Church of Christ). Members of this church are extremely conservative, very anti-communist, and during the Marcos era, they were very supportive of his government. Almost invariably, these people tend to be very critical of the Catholic Church, especially of its social action programme. While I was drinking my coffee, a young boy accompanied by his friend came and sat down at the end of the table where I was seated, and I took their photo. The boy’s name was Jerry and both of his parents were members of the Iglesia ni Kristo, at the time that I took his picture, Jerry was carrying a home-made wooden toy armalite rifle. Looking again at the photo and recalling this incident seven years later, I wandered about the young man he has become. If I were able to locate him, this is the letter I would like to send him...

Door To the Church

By: Sr. Ma. Fidelis Ong PDDM

Sr. Fidelis Ong, a missionary in Taipei, Taiwan, was born in town of Abuyog, Leyte in 1947. She’s the eldest and the only daughter of the eight children of the Cresencio Palaña Ong and Rufina Modesto Realino, both from Abuyog. She enrolled at St. Michael’s College, Iligan City, which was run by the Columban Fathers at that time. Then later on it was given to the care of the religious of the Blessed Virgin Mary (RVM) sisters. Fr. Frances Carey, SSC, became the Dean of College. She completed her studies in 1969.

We are all Special

By: Fr. Fintan Murtagh SSC

Fr. Fintan Murtagh is a missionary in Luzon for 30 years. His work with the handicapped reveals a true and beautiful Church of the poor which must surely disturb us all and challenge us.

Many people don’t like the sound of the word handicapped. It just does not sound right. It may be offensive to some, especially those concerned. “Special People” or “Mobility Disadvantaged” or any number of other names are used. Personally, I think it betrays an uneasiness that we all experience in the presence of disadvantaged. Allow me to use the term “handicapped” when referring to those special people who suffer some disability. Even the use of the word special is a little misleading because I believe that everyone is special, even myself!

We Will Never Forget Them!

The Story of Malate Martyrs

By: Fr. Arthur Price, MSSC

One Day Long Ago

My own arrival in Malate is still clearly etched in my memory. Four of us newly ordained priests, James McDevitt, Dermot Feeney, Martin Strong and I, arrived in Manila Bay on a beautiful tropical evening just before sunset. We made our way to Malate Church which we found in a festive mood as the annual novena in honor of Our Lady of Remedies was then in progress. It was November 15, 1936. A wonderful atmosphere of relaxed enjoyment was everywhere. Religion really seemed to be the center of the lives of all people in more ways than one.

The Day the Pope Was Shot

By Charlie A. Agatep

Thirteen years ago on May 13, 1981, at 3:15pm GMT, I saw Pope John Paull II being shot as he was riding around St. Peter’s Square in his white, open jeep.

At the time of the shooting, which took place five days before the Pope’s 61st birthday anniversary, he was giving his blessing (Urbi et Orbi) and waving to a crowd of some 10,000 persons who had gathered in front of the Basilica of St. Peter’s since noon. He had just finished holding a boy in his arms inside the jeep when the shots rang out.

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