2009 Community!

Our international community: From Czech Republic, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Korea, Netherlands!

Balikatan ministry update

Morning Group
Since the beginning of the year 2009, there was an increase in members of the morning session from a group of 25 to 35 and more! The turning point was the Life in the Spirit Seminar conducted in April 2009. After that seminar, our new Balikatan members became very alive and excited during our regular Saturday meetings.

Each week, with great enthusiasm, they participated in the times of Praise and Worship, small groups sharing and teachings. These teachings included the Ten Commandments, an introduction to Scriptures, and at the present moment, a series on prayer (a series of 7 teachings).


From the teachings on prayer they found it most helpful praying ‘The Jesus Prayer’ in their busy lives. The prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God , have mercy on me, a sinner” can be repeated many times throughout the whole day. They shared that praying this prayer as they cooked, cleaned, walked, went to sleep and upon waking up, helps them to be constantly aware of God’s presence and also helps them to overcome their difficulties and feelings of sadness, irritation and impatience.

We also welcome two new team members to our Balikatan team - Domisiano from Korea and Andrina from Singapore who are presently going through Staff Formation in our ICPE Centre.

Afternoon Group
At the beginning of the year the members created the vision for their afternoon group
“To have a permanent Balikatan Community in which members are supporting each other.” They are very much aware of the fact that they themselves have to carry out this vision through:
• Living Christian Life
• Helping one another as much as possible
• Helping new members
• Reaching out to their neighbors and friends in their clusters
Encouraged and strengthen by this vision and strategies they started to follow the series of teachings on Christian character like speech, integrity, virtues etc., they were also helping out with leading sharing groups in the Morning Group and reaching out to their neighbors of whom some joined the Balikatan Meetings.

Joshua's diary

Here's the story of Joshua.

“ I want to go to school!”

This was Joshua’s immediate reply when asked what he would like to do if he could see. Joshua, age 11, was diagnosed with congenital cataract at the age of 5. Due to financial constrains, he could not afford the recommended surgery for cataract removal, and thus could not attend school.



Joshua’s plight was highlighted when he joined the ICPE Mission’s Children Ministry in Montalban. Through the efforts of our Korean partners in mission, sufficient funds were raised to cover his medical costs for the recommended surgery.

Thus, since January 2009, I had the privilege of accompanying Joshua for his series of medical tests and consultations at the University of East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Centre (UERM-MMC). Each hospital visit was long and wearying as it involved repeated consultations and oftentimes hours of waiting while standing in queue. In those moments, a restless Joshua would reiterate his dream in his raspy low voice, “Ate Joan, gusto kong nag-aaral!” (“Joan, I want to go to school!” in Tagalog).





Thus it was a shock for all of us when his recent test revealed a defect in his visual pathway. The doctors concluded that the surgical removal of the cataract would yield a minimal improvement of sight. At most, Joshua’s current vision of blurred shapes would be brighter after the surgery. Joshua would need to enroll in a school for the visually impaired.

As we walked out of the consultation room in silence, Joshua finally spoke up and said, “Ate Joan, gusto kong nag-aaral.” My heart went out to the little boy because for the first time, I heard the anxiety in his voice. That day, we prayed that Jesus, the Lord of all hopes would open a new way for Joshua’s dream to be fulfilled as we search for a suitable school for him.

ICPE’s first discipleship school for Singaporean youth!

The Catholic Archdiocesan Youth Office in Singapore, together with the ICPE Mission, launched a 5 week discipleship school from 3 February – 6 March 2009. The discipleship school, named ‘School of Witness’ (SOW in short), aimed to form a new generation of youth in Singapore. Four of us from ICPE Philippines joined Amilia from ICPE Singapore to serve in the School. There are altogether 17 participants who shared community living, lectures, cell groups, outreaches, liturgy and personal prayer time.



During the 5 weeks school, we held different sessions on topics such as God’s revelation as Father, God’s revelation as the Son, Holy Spirit, Sacraments, Stages of development, Forgiveness, Self-acceptance, Evangelization, Apologetics, Character Formation, Scripture, Worship, Church and Youth ministry.



The school was grace-filled. We saw how God faithfully led participants to greater freedom, new self –discoveries, a journey of healing and transformation. At the end of the school, participants shared that they gained insights and encountered God in new ways. We were blessed to see how each of them were renewed and fired up to go forth as witnesses of God.

Coming home - Marlene's sharing

Having first arrived as a volunteer, I was the youngest and least religious person of the group, I remember being intimidated and unsure of my own footing within the community. However, having endeavored to spend the next 3 weeks in the ICPE Mission home in Manila, I found that my experience here would not be confined to continual prayer sessions and household chores (as I first initially assumed). The ensuing days were compiled of different experiences, from running around with the kids in Montalban to teaching English in a barren classroom with nothing but a few chairs, I found an abundance of wealth and fulfillment every step of the way; a feeling new and revitalizing to me. One of the key elements which satiated my constant hunger for new experiences, was the community. One of the people I first opened myself up to within the community explained to me the beauty of God’s blessing in allowing us to share in a part of some one else’s journey in life.

Within my first week here alone, I had been so warmly invited into the journeys of so many of the lives of the children in Montalban. It was possibly the most humbling and gratifying experiences of my entire life. However, my adventures did not end simply after leaving Montalban, instead, they continued within the home. Staying in a house with 14 other people who are all so different in nature has taught me so much about myself and inspired me in a multitude of ways to want to change my life for the better. Never imposing, but always approachable, I found a second home here within the community in my first 5 days which offered me a warmth and love I had never discovered before.

Perhaps the most memorable experience within the house was my first ever Prayer and Worship Session. I had never been “touched” by God up till this point and I never understood what people meant when they say that God had “touched” their lives. On the session itself, one line came ringing out to me; “God is a repairer” and we talked about opening up our lives to him to be repaired and at that moment a flood of tears and torrents of emotion just hit me. I had suddenly come alive again, after 5 years of not really identifying with my own emotion, I was now confronted by it and I could no longer escape. However these tears, were not of sadness, but of relief, of hope, of finally coming home. Home to Christ.

Name: Marlene Ditzig
Age: 18
Alumni of Class 2009 United World College of South East Asia
Soon to be student at Bard College, Annanndale Hudson, New York

Pentecost and ICPE Staff Formation Opening Ceremony

Pentecost Vigil Praise and worship

It was truly a refreshing time in the spirit today. For the first time in a long while, the chapel is filled with many people and lo and behold! we finally have the full attendance of the ICPE community in Philippines on this night. We started out the night with praise songs and we immersed ourselves in the spirit-filled atmosphere. We then prayed over each other in pairs and we could sense the spirit moving in the hearts of all present. What a great start for the Staff formation! We are truly dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead us to do God’s will, not ours!

We had Father Mark Grima mssp, from Malta who celebrated our Pentecost/ commissioning mass. There were a total of 30 of us from 14 different nations participating in this Eucharistic celebration. From Japan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Malta, Peru, India, Singpaore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Korea, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and of course the Philippines. They prayed over the new members in staff formation, asking God to give us strength and grace during this time of formation.





During the mass, each new staff formation participant presented a symbol as an offering to God as a representation of our journey ahead.

We had an Agape meal to celebrate the occasion. The menu included vegetable clear soup, chicken thigh in coconut gravy, brocolli and cauliflower with egg and rice – a must have in the Philippines! The cuisine is international, after all, we're from 14 different nationalities!



And through current technology, we received a personal message from our International directors and founders of ICPE mission, via You Tube! Giving us a deeper background into the beginnings of ICPE's pontifical recognition during the feast of Pentecost.


Jitka inspired us with a speech encouraging all of us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.



During the agape meal, the new members in formation were invited to sign a commitment to formation with the ICPE. This marked the beginning of Staff Formation for the entire ICPE mission! This is truly a witness to all those present, our friends from several communities, friends, and family. God bless us all!

Tariq, our children ministry volunteer

I am Tariq.b.John, a student of the Missionary Society of St. Paul (mssp). As part of my exposure to ministry in the Philippines, I currently volunteer with the ICPE to experience ministry to the children in Montalban. It has been about 8 months already and I join the group every Saturday. During these months, I felt that, the ministry had been conducted very faithfully through the planning of catechism and organizing different activities with different techniques and games to teach the children. I like the way that we always start the catechism class with prayer, first among us and then worship and praise with the children. Through that I really experienced the presence of God. Even though I am taking part in children ministry only, I can see some of the ICPE group members doing youth and family ministry. In a way, I can say we are not ministering only children but also taking care of the family in which they grow.